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Des Moines opens new Station 4, honors retired firefighter who helped integrate the department
Summary
City officials, the fire chief and community partners marked the grand opening of Des Moines Fire Station Number 4, highlighting new training space, health and safety upgrades and the return of retired firefighter Milford Fonza, who recalled facing racial harassment when he joined the department in 1967.
Des Moines city leaders and fire department officials on Saturday celebrated the grand opening of Fire Station Number 4 on the city’s north side, showcasing new training facilities, health-focused design features and a community classroom intended for neighborhood use.
"This station enhances the ability to improve service delivery to the residents and visitors of our city," Mayor Connie Bozen said, noting the city approved construction in July 2024 to replace the old Station 4 at 9th and University. The mayor said the location will improve response times to the northwest portion of Des Moines and provide training and meeting space for the neighborhood.
City Manager Scott Sanders described the station as "a very important resource" that honors the past while using design elements meant to protect firefighters and speed emergency response. Sanders thanked community partners including the NAACP Des Moines chapter and contractor Ryan Companies for their roles in the multi-year project.
Fire Chief Jonathan Lund said the facility was built with firefighter health and readiness in mind. "This fire station is all about the people," Lund said, describing the station’s sprinkler system, smoke alarms in every sleeping space and exposure-reduction strategies intended to lower long-term health risks for personnel. Lund urged residents to keep working smoke alarms at home and invited attendees to request tours of the station’s safety features.
The ceremony highlighted the station’s community-facing features: a classroom that officials said can host small local groups in addition to department training, and training elements such as the on-site tower. Chief Lund said a five-person station design committee, which included union representation, helped balance state-of-the-art features with fiscal realities.
A central moment of the ceremony was the honoring of Milford Fonza, who returned from Southern California for the event. The Presenter recounted Fonza’s career: after graduating East High in Des Moines, he served in the U.S. armed forces, joined the Des Moines Fire Department in 1967 and later relocated to Southern California, where he rose to battalion chief in Pasadena and founded a Firefighter I academy.
Fonza spoke briefly at the podium about his early experience in Des Moines. "In 1967, I became the first Black firefighter of the Des Moines Fire Department," Fonza said, and he described facing daily harassment in his early years and later finding inclusion at Station 15. He thanked the city, the department and the NAACP for the recognition.
Instead of a ribbon cutting, officials staged a hose-uncoupling demonstration: after a brief repel demonstration by a firefighter, the spanner was used to uncouple the hose, signaling the official opening. Organizers said tours of the station and refreshments were available after the ceremony.
The event included an invocation by Father Greg Leach and remarks from elected and city officials; organizers encouraged residents to visit the station and offered a reminder about smoke alarms and sprinklered sleeping spaces as part of broader fire-safety messaging.
The ceremony concluded after the hose demonstration; officials did not announce further formal actions or votes at the event.
