When he officially takes the reigns on Monday as the first full-time chief of LeClaire Fire Department, Shane Bleeker will hit the ground running.
And, he's very familiar with the station, the equipment and members as he has served as assistant chief.
"It’ll be neat to see what the future holds as the department and city grows with it," Bleeker told WQAD.
There are currently 17 volunteers answering calls right now, and the new chief would like to see at least 25. The company responds to 450-500 calls annually. However, that is expected to increase as the area grows.
The former volunteer in LeClaire, told reporters he will apply for grants to help in the recruitment effort as well as increasing social media presence.
"Volunteers are scarce across the board right now, doesn't matter where right now," Bleeker said. That's especially true during the daytime hours, when people are at their full-time jobs, Bleeker said.
He also wants to improve training that's already in place to insure that volunteers are ready to respond the emergencies
Bleeker started his firefighter career in 2015 as a volunteer before becoming a career firefighter in Mason City, IA. Most recently, he was part of the Bettendorf Fire Department.
Jim Bradley,, the current volunteer chief, will remain with the department as a volunteer. He is looking forward to joining his son, who recently joined the ranks.
