Volunteer firefighter urges county action on official first-responder IDs

Gene Hammons, a Nichols resident and volunteer firefighter, told the Muscatine County supervisors on March 30 he is seeking clear direction on how volunteer first responders will obtain official identification accepted at emergency scenes.

"I\'m a firefighter EMT, hazmat, operations level trained," Hammons said in public comment, saying he and other volunteers have had difficulty getting identification accepted during incidents such as the Fruitland tornado. He said a county ID effort that would have produced IDs for the eight volunteer departments was started in August 2024 but was halted and has not been completed.

Board members and staff responded that the county is working through a process with the state and that Chris Jasper has been handling the work. A member of the board said he has spoken with Jasper about delays and expressed optimism that the IDs would be completed within a month or two. Staff offered to provide meeting information and follow up; no formal action was taken at the March 30 meeting.

Hammons invited supervisors and staff to a training at the Nichols Fire Station that evening and said he would provide documentation of his certifications if needed. The board asked staff to provide information about the commission meetings and to follow up with Hammons if the IDs were not available soon.