Mitchellville Firefighter Association Inc

06/01/2026

🚑🚒 Monthly Call Update – April 2026

Calls for Service: 43

• 85% EMS Calls
• 15% Fire / HazMat / Other

Automatic Aid:
• Aid Given: 3
• Aid Received: 7

Average Response Time:
• 7 Minutes, 20 Seconds (Dispatch to On-Scene Arrival)

📈 New Performance Metric

Beginning this month, we are introducing a new metric: Year-Over-Year (YOY) Percentage Increase.

This metric will provide a running comparison of our current annual call volume against the same period in the previous year (2025). By tracking growth throughout the year, we can better demonstrate changes in service demand, staffing needs, and operational workload across Mitchellville Fire Rescue's response area.

As call volumes continue to increase, this metric will help illustrate the growing demand placed on our personnel, apparatus, and resources while ensuring we remain Professional, Prepared, and Community Focused.

YOY Percentage Increase: 26%

🫡👨‍🚒 The Return of Chief Twohey!

As we share this month's statistics, we would also like to recognize a significant moment for our department.

After three long months, we are proud to welcome Chief Mike Twohey back home to Mitchellville Fire Rescue.

Strong leadership matters. Throughout his absence, our members continued to serve our community with professionalism and dedication, but having our Chief back where he belongs makes our department stronger, more stable, and better positioned for the future.

Chief Twohey has dedicated countless years to this department, its members, and the citizens we serve. We are grateful to have his leadership, experience, and commitment guiding Mitchellville Fire Rescue once again.

Welcome back, Chief. We're glad you're home.

Professional. Prepared. Community Focused.

05/29/2026

✅ Roadway Reopened

The intersection of 3rd St NW and Elm Ave NW has been reopened to traffic.

Thank you to everyone involved for working together to resolve the situation quickly and safely. We appreciate the efforts of our Public Works crew, MidAmerican Energy, and all responding personnel who helped restore access to the area.

We also want to thank the public for your patience and cooperation while crews worked to clear the hazard and ensure the area was safe to reopen.

Professional. Prepared. Community Focused.

05/29/2026

⚠️ ROAD HAZARD ALERT ⚠️

3RD ST NW & ELM AVE NW

A tree has fallen in the area and is entangled with electrical wires. For your safety, please avoid the area and do not approach any downed wires or debris.

Mitchellville Public Works along with Mitchellville Fire is on scene and working diligently to clear the roadway and restore access as quickly as possible. MidAmerican Energy has been notified and is responding.

Please use alternate routes and allow crews the space they need to work safely.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation. Updates will be provided as they become available.

Professional. Prepared. Community Focused.

05/15/2026

FOR CLARIFICATION:
No one is “under investigation “
The auditors did not come here this week to “haul out documents”
No one on this department is doing anything but providing professional service to our community.
The city is being audited, this was at the request of council at the time not due to some scandal in the fire department.
Polk county sheriffs department was here this week to take custody of case files as part of the process of switching to them for our law enforcement needs.
Staff is working on building repair and maintenance and will be in and out of the building removing furniture and other things left by our previous pd as we begin the process of taking over the much needed office space.
I urge people to ask real questions instead of just buying into the social media rabbit hole.
If you have real questions pertaining to this department email them to me at [email protected] and we can discuss them directly.
Thanks
Matt Cleverley
Deputy Chief
Mitchellville Fire Department

05/08/2026

Please read the information provided by the Des Moines PD it could help save a life !

The Des Moines Police Department is cautioning the community as overdose deaths surge in April.

Since the beginning of the year, detectives with our Vice & Narcotics Control Section have responded to nine overdose deaths; seven occurring since the beginning of April.

In all of 2025, detectives investigated 15 overdose deaths.

As detectives continue to investigate the source(s), and they await complete toxicology reports, the preliminary investigations indicate that these are opioid-related overdoses.

If you are aware of an overdose happening, CALL 911.
Immediate action is essential to survival.

Iowa's Good Samaritan law protects people from prosecution for certain charges if they call 911 to report an overdose.

Resources are available today! The Polk County Health Department Harm Reduction strategy includes access to free Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose, and Des Moines Fire Department, Polk County and Full Circle Recovery are partnering to provide the Rapid Engagement and Community Health (REACH) Program to treat, serve, and support people with opioid use disorder throughout Polk county. For more info on the REACH program, contact the DMFD team at 515-850-9737 or [email protected].

If you have any information regarding the illegal distribution of these deadly drugs, please call 515-237-1594. You may also submit tips using the “Submit A Tip” function on the DMPD mobile app, or online at www.crimestoppersofcentraliowa.com. You may remain anonymous.

05/05/2026

🚑🚒 Monthly Call Update – April 2026

Calls for Service: 46
• 87% EMS Calls
• 13% Fire / HazMat / Other

Automatic Aid:
• Aid Given: 1
• Aid Received: 15

Average Response Time:
• 8 minutes, 31 seconds (Dispatch to On-Scene Arrival)

April made one thing clear our department continues to show up, no matter the circumstances. Day or night, our members answer the call with commitment, grit, and pride in serving this community.

But it also brought some realities into focus. For transparencies sake we're elaborating below:

Without our full-time paramedic and without our Fire Chief, the impact is real and it is being felt. That does not mean our people are not stepping up they absolutely are. Our members continue to respond every day and every night. However, we have had to rely heavily on our mutual aid partners, and we are grateful to the surrounding departments who continue to answer when we call.

Many of those partners provide career staffing and Advanced Life Support capabilities. Currently, we have one active paramedic. That paramedic has other obligations and cannot always be available. To ensure the best possible patient outcomes, we occasionally need to request an ALS ambulance to respond to the scene or meet us enroute to the hospital.

In April alone, Mitchellville Fire Rescue was unable to provide adequate staffing on 8 occasions. Each time, our mutual aid partners stepped up without hesitation.

That speaks volumes about the strength of our partnerships but it also highlights a critical need.

The realities we saw this month reinforce that decisions surrounding public safety directly impact the level of service our community receives. Recent leadership decisions created preventable challenges in our operations.

We need consistent staffing.
We need consistent ALS availability.
We need our Chief back
We need our full time paramedic back.

Our ability to serve this community depends on strong leadership at every level of city government.

At the same time, the community should have confidence in the service they are receiving. While Advanced Life Support is not always immediately available, seven of our active members are EMT-B certified and provide strong Basic Life Support care on every call.

Mitchellville is protected. Our crews are responding, care is being delivered, and when higher levels of care are needed, systems are in place to make sure you receive it. Day or night, we are here.

These are our current operational realities.

Looking ahead, we are making strategic investments with the support of city leadership to prepare for the future. Our growth has made the needs clear, and we are actively putting processes in place to stay proactive and ahead of the curve.

We are grateful for our city leadership standing alongside us and holding the line in support of our department and the community we serve.

Professional. Prepared. Community Focused.

04/23/2026

We are doing a new thing this year :) Looking for sponsors for our fire department! Below is information on different levels and samples of the placemats and the banner. Deadline is June 30th. The placemats will be used at our walking tacos and chili supper which both have great turn outs. The Banner will be put on display at all of our events EXCLUDING the upcoming car show as the deadline is after that.

Please email [email protected] with ANY questions and to sign up. I will then get more information to you. Thank you in advance!

04/21/2026

This will go along with our annual car show!

UPDATE!!!!! 2 spots left

04/20/2026

We will be doing a BBQ smoking competition with this event this year. Details to come!

The Ville Shake & Energy Bar will be serving up drinks during our event!

The fire department will also be serving hot dogs - regular and some specialty toppings!!

04/20/2026

Training Night 🔥🚒

Tonight our crews were back at it, putting in the work to stay sharp and ready.

We split into groups and focused on a few key areas.

One group worked with our new pre-connected bumper lay HEN nozzle. Crews practiced deployment, hose advancement, and making entry into a simulated room and contents fire. We spent time working on water mapping, specifically using a wide pattern to control heat and improve interior conditions. It’s a different approach with some real advantages, and we’re looking forward to getting more reps with it.

The second group brushed up (pun intended) on brush fire tactics. Using cones and tennis balls, crews worked on nozzle control, movement, and effective water application. Nothing fancy just a simple setup, but it builds the kind of consistency and discipline that matters on the fireground.

And if you saw us out at the sewer treatment facility tonight, there was no emergency — just training. Every opportunity we get to train is an opportunity to better serve this community.

Professional. Prepared. Community Focused.