To keep up with the city’s needs, the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department hired a long-time volunteer firefighter into the new position of Battalion Chief. Steve Schwarz, who’s served with the department since 2001, will start in the full-time position, Jan. 7, 2019. “The city is growing at a phenomenal rate right now and the city is slowly catching up. It’s great that they’re adding on,” Schwarz said. “The position was created because of the workload,” Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper added. “We’re an all-hazards department, so we do more than just putting out fires. The number of emergency calls is up, the number of service calls is up, all our requests are up, so it was a needed position.” Schwarz earned the position over nine other applicants.