Our History

In 1925, volunteers consisting of area businessmen calling themselves the Bellefontaine Volunteer Fire Department operated out of a business called Bellefontaine Motors, which was located at what is now know as Olive Street and Chesterfield Parkway East.

The volunteer department consisted of volunteers and one piece of equipment and operated on revenue that was obtained by purchasing a fire tag that was affixed to your home. The cost was $3 per year to have fire protection. They originally protected about 712 buildings in the entire district. In addition to the fire tags, yearly picnics were held to add to the revenue.

In 1957, the Chesterfield Fire Protection District came into existence with three pieces of equipment, approximately 12 volunteers, and two engine houses. One was located at the original site at Chesterfield Parkway East and one was located on Wild Horse Creek Road in a rented garage east of what is now Engine House #2. At that time, the District became tax supported.

In 1962, as the District began to grow, the first full-time employees were hired and the first ambulance was placed in service. As the years went by, more engines houses, a training center, and an equipment maintenance building were built to meet the needs of the District.

Today, the District covers slightly more than 62.7 square miles and services over 60,000 people that live in all of, or part of the cities of Ballwin, Chesterfield, Clarkson Valley, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights, Wildwood, and unincorporated St. Louis County. In November 2003, after the Board of Directors of the Chesterfield Fire Protection District voted to change the name of the District, the District officially became known as the Monarch Fire Protection District.

The District has come a long way since the days of the Bellefontaine Volunteer Fire Department. The District now has 125 dedicated employees consisting of Fire Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief-EMS, Deputy Chief-Training Officer, Administrative Managers, Fire Marshal, Shift Battalion Chiefs, Captains, EMS Captains, Public Education Officer, Firefighter/Paramedics, Firefighter/EMTs, Firefighters, Fire Inspectors and other support personnel. Last year, the District responded to over 6100 alarms.

The current locations of the engine houses are as follows:

Monarch Administrative Building 13725 Olive Blvd
Monarch Maintenance Facility located at 151 Long Road
Monarch Training Tower located at 911 John Pellet Ct.
Station 1 is located at 15700 Baxter Road
Station 2 is located at 18424 Wild Horse Creek Road
Station 3 is located at 1201 Fernview Drive
Station 4 is located at 14898 Olive Boulevard
Station 5 is located at 155 Long Road