Hi my name is Ron Anderson. I’ve been involved with the fire service for 32 years and counting. I began my career in 1977 as a volunteer firefighter with the Cole-Collister Fire Protection District in Boise, later re-named to North Ada County Fire & Rescue. I was hired as a full-time firefighter with Nampa Fire Department in 1981 and worked as a Firefighter, Driver/Operator, Training Officer, Division Chief, and Assistant Chief before being appointed to Fire Chief of Nampa in 1999. During my time in Nampa, I was a member of the State of Idaho Region III Hazardous Materials Team and served as Team Leader from 1993-1999. As a former Training Officer, I am very passionate when it comes to training and the need for quality programs that challenge our personnel to increase their competencies. While Chief, the Nampa Fire Department built its first combination police/fire sub-station, implemented an advanced life-support paramedic engine company program, and lowered its I.S.O. rating to a class 2.
In April of 2005 I was offered the position of Fire Chief with the City of Meridian and as a long-time Meridian resident and graduate of Meridian High School, I was thrilled to accept the position. During my short tenure at Meridian, our Department has upgraded our emergency medical service to include advance life support paramedics, built 2 additional Fire Stations, designed and built a State of the Art Training Tower and most recently lowered the City of Meridians insurance ISO Rating from a Class “4” to a “3”. I am energized by the challenges presented in a growing city like Meridian and look forward to the opportunity to finish out my career working for my hometown.
As Fire Chief of Meridian, my job responsibilities range from but are not limited to planning, organizing, coordinating and administering all activities and programs of the fire department; providing advice and guidance to the City Administration in fire service related issues; fostering cooperative working relationships with citizen groups and other agencies on fire matters. My objective as Fire Chief is to provide comprehensive emergency medical, fire prevention, inspection, suppression, hazardous materials and related services. I am responsible for developing and implementing fire service policies, goals, objectives and work standards for the department. I also direct the preparation of the department’s budget and monitor departmental expenditures.
The Meridian Fire Department formed in 1908 and currently has 5 fire stations, strategically located around the city. The department responds to emergency calls in a 54 sq. mile jurisdiction serving a population of approximately 85,000 residents. In addition to the 5 fire stations, the department facilities include a 4-story training tower and Fire Education Safety Center. We currently employee 54 full time firefighters and 15 part-time on call personnel. The management team consists of a Deputy Chief of Prevention, Deputy Chief of Operations and a Deputy Chief of EMS, Fire Inspector, Public Safety Education Specialist and 2 Administrative Secretarial Staff. Meridian Fire responded to 4,243 calls for service in 2008.