A year of stability

Willow Springs Fire Chief Andy Logan is that department’s fourth chief in six years. This week marks Chief Logan’s first complete year in a position that combines fire chief, animal control officer, and code enforcement officer. 

 

With twelve volunteer firefighters on the department, the size of the crew has stayed roughly the same, Logan confirms. In February 2025, Howell County News reported the roster at 14 members. Department leadership has remained consistent since 2024 with Sam Waldron remaining as Assistant Chief and Nick Tooley as Captain. 

 

In his first year, Chief Logan’s top priority was making changes to improve life safety, he said in a Jan. 16 interview. To that end, the department has a new cascade fill station, a device that fills air bottles for firefighters to wear on scene. When he took over, it needed replacing urgently, he said. 

 

Like all volunteer departments, funding remains an obstacle to the improvements and equipment Logan would like to provide for his crew. Mostly, safety purchases have been small-scale – new safety vests, replacement nozzles, and truck tires.

 

“We’re making the best out of what we have,” Logan said. "It’s about supporting my guys.”

 

A grant awarded by the Missouri Department of Conservation in the amount of $18,416 helped purchase fourteen sets of extrication/wild land gear and four backpack brush pumps. use.

 

Perhaps the most visible purchase of the last year is the pickup truck known as 5051, a vehicle used by Logan on most calls, or by another department member when the chief is off duty. Adding the truck to the fleet has provided a way to transport more people and equipment to a given scene, based on what is needed. 

 

“Plus we’re putting miles on a $30,000 vehicle instead of a $200,000 truck,” Logan added. 

 

Data provided by Chief Logan reports Willow Springs Fire Department responded to 317 calls in 2025, for a total of 1,706 hours of response time. 140 of these calls have been to assist Emergency Medical Services. 122 have been fire calls, and the rest have been mutual aid calls to surrounding departments.

 

“It’s more calls than I expected period,” Logan said Friday. By the time of the interview on a Friday morning, Logan had already been on several calls in the preceding twelve hours. 

 

In December of 2024, the News reported on the only on-duty area firefighter injury of the last five years. Six weeks before Logan took the reins, three local firefighters were injured entering a burning barn, and as reported at the time, thirty thousand dollars’ worth of equipment was damaged. According to Chief Logan, the dollar amount of the damage was overestimated. The cost was closer to $6,500. One set of fire gear with a helmet had to be replaced. Air packs initially believed to be destroyed were inspected and certified to return to service. 

 

On avoiding another on-scene injury- Logan credits two things, “the leadership structure” he brings to the department -- and training. 

 

“Usually, I’m not the incident commander. I’m the guy leading the team. I stay calm and try to instill that steadiness so the guys can follow a model,” Logan told the News.

 

Twice monthly trainings are meant to provide hands-on field experience and prepare first responders for disasters in real-life locations around Willow Springs.

 

Looking to the future, Logan hopes to increase community support for the department. The firehouse has an open-door policy. They need volunteers and can always use financial support. Volunteers behind the scenes in administration or for fundraising efforts are needed. Teaching kids early to respect fire services is also a form of support. He invites families to bring their kids to the firehouse. 

 

“Come on in,” he said with a smile. “We need short volunteers too.”