Veteran firefighters don’t scare easily, but on October 8, 2018, Ottumwa Fire Chief Tony Miller was worried.
“In my 37 years of working in the fire department, this was the only time I thought I was gonna lose someone,” Miller said.
On that night firefighters went out to rescue a young man who was floating out on the Des Moines River. They were able to rescue the man, but lost their boat.
The department is now able to replace their lost fishing boat with a river rescue boat thanks to numerous organizations who donated.
The new boat cost a total of $54,286 and the city will pay about $21,000. “We got the rest through grants and reimbursement money,” Miller said. “We’re lucky to receive the grant money. We are very fortunate they saw the problem. Without their donations it would have been really tough. We very much appreciate the Riverboat Foundation and everyone else.”