Jay Niemeyer named Southern Boone fire chief

By Cassidy Brown

Seasoned firefighter and paramedic Jay Niemeyer stepped into a new position as fire chief for the Southern Boone Fire Protection District on Monday.

Niemeyer has served in mid-Missouri fire departments as a firefighter for over 35 years and has seven years of paramedic experience. He was previously an assistant fire chief for the Jefferson City Fire Department.

Niemeyer spoke highly of the Fire District in an interview with the Boone County Journal.

“Their history is solid, their equipment is good. Their people are in it for the right reasons and passionate, wanting to serve the community,” Niemeyer said. “I wanted to be a part of that, and it felt like the next step.”

The Fire District’s Facebook page announced the new fire chief in a post with over 50 comments congratulating him on the position, with a few adding, “well deserved.”

Niemeyer was studying at the University of Missouri in 1990 to become a high school teacher when a friend asked him to volunteer at the Boone County Fire District. After responding to several fires, he realized he wanted to pursue a career in fire and emergency services.

“I love my job. I love being able to fight fire … and help community members,” Niemeyer said. “And the people you work with in fire and emergency services are some of the best people you’ll ever interact with in your life.”

Niemeyer is a nationally registered paramedic and is certified in Missouri as fire officer 4, fire instructor 2 and safety officer.

He works with the University of Missouri Fire & Rescue Training Institute as an adjunct instructor.

Niemeyer also serves on Missouri Task Force 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue team. He served on the response teams for the Joplin tornadoes, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Helene.

Niemeyer hopes to “continue the tradition” of the level of service he said the Fire District has given Southern Boone for generations. He said this relies on passionate volunteers continuing to offer their time and expertise through the Fire District.

“We’re always looking for new members to join and serve their community,” he said. “We consistently need volunteers to help us continue to provide that high-level service.”