Mason Dockter
Sioux City Journal, Iowa
(TNS)
SIOUX CITY — Capt. Ryan Collins has been named the next Sioux City Fire Rescue chief.
Collins, the 47-year-old deputy fire marshal, will succeed Chief Tom Everett, who is retiring after 31 years with the department.
Ryan Collins
Collins
Fire Chief Tom Everett
Everett
“I am very humbled, it’s a very surreal moment to be even considered for the fire chief,” Collins told The Journal. “I am over the moon and excited to take on this new opportunity. I’ve been with the department since 2006, and I have seen the department grow and adapt to the challenges that are presented to us. I’m extremely proud of our personnel and the way they work tirelessly every day to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.”
Collins will begin his term as the new chief on Aug. 12, the city said in a press release Tuesday.
In his new position Collins will receive $145,000 per year, a city spokeswoman said. His appointment and salary level are subject to approval by the Sioux City Council.
The department is a busy one: Over the last 20 years its annual call volume has roughly doubled, Collins said. In 2023, he said, the department took 11,802 calls, roughly 75 percent of which were medical calls. Back in 2003 there were only 5,720 calls. (Collins noted that the vast escalation of fire-EMS calls is a nationwide phenomenon, not unique to Sioux City.)
“The biggest challenge right now is just trying to manage the overall call volume, especially on the EMS side,” Collins said.
A born and raised Sioux Cityan, Collins began his career with the department in 2006 as a firefighter/EMT and served in that capacity until 2015. He then was promoted to lieutenant. In 2018, he was promoted to captain and deputy fire marshal.
He began his firefighting career in Pierre, the capital city of South Dakota, where he took a job with the state early in his career and joined the volunteer fire department. Pierre, he noted, is one of only two U.S. state capital cities with a volunteer (rather than paid) fire department.
The introduction to firefighting in the middle of South Dakota was a life-changing experience for Collins.
“You hear a lot about the brotherhood and sisterhood in the fire service — and it’s a real thing,” he said. “And it’s a bond that goes on forever. I’m getting calls today from those members out there in Pierre that I served with so many years ago, offering congratulations. You make lifelong friendships, and that’s what the fire service is.”
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