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Monroe Fire Chief Ron Fowler recounts decades in combined public safety and department growth
Summary
Chief Ron Fowler, a Monroe native, describes joining a combined police/fire public safety model in the 1980s, rising through ranks, and later leading a separated fire department that grew from about 22 personnel to roughly 109 full‑time staff.
Ron Fowler said he began in Monroe’s volunteer fire ranks and was drawn to the city’s combined public safety model, which allowed officers to serve in both police and fire roles.
"I am a native of Monroe and Union County...When I graduated high school, I actually got involved with the volunteer fire department here in Union County," Fowler said, describing early work that included both law enforcement and firefighting duties. Fowler recounted promotions from public safety officer to lieutenant and then captain, with duties spanning code enforcement, fire investigations and budgeting.
Fowler said the 1999 separation of police and fire prompted his choice to pursue fire work full time and later led to his appointment as fire chief. He credited relationships formed over decades and the collective efforts of current and retired personnel for the department’s development.
