Although he has been a firefighter for 24 years, Tom Vineyard is learning the ropes at the Monarch Fire Protection District.

He took over Jan. 2 as fire chief of the 55-square-mile district that includes all or parts of Chesterfield, Clarkson Valley, Ballwin, Wildwood, Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur and unincorporated West County.

Vineyard had been fire chief of the Mid-County Fire Protection District since 2004.

"I'm very excited to come to Monarch, and I think it's a great district, with a lot of talented men and women who are very dedicated to what they do," he said. "I'm looking forward to working with a bigger district and serving the men and women and the citizens of the fire district."

He's learning a lot about the district's operations.

"I'm getting out in the community and talking to people and assessing needs," he said.

Vineyard recently spoke about firefighting, his career and his plans for the future at Monarch.

QUESTION: Why did you decide to become a firefighter? Was anybody in the family in that line of work?

ANSWER: My father, Edward, who passed away in 1995, had been a fire captain with the St. Louis Fire Department for years before he worked as a state fire marshal for the Missouri Division of Fire Safety. I also had an uncle, Carroll, who is retired, also from the city of St. Louis Fire Department. So it's kind of a family business. I've always been interested, with my dad being in the service, and I knew at a young age that this was the career path I wanted to take.

Q: What's the biggest fire you've ever been involved in fighting?

A: Probably the largest fire I've been on was a couple years ago at a pallet company in Hillsdale, and it went to five alarms. I was actually in command there, and it was challenging to fight, because it was a very large structure filled with a lot of combustibles. But we fought it successfully and finally got it under control.

Q: Have you ever been hurt in a fire?

A: Just minor burns. Thankfully, I haven't been seriously injured on a fire.

Q: Why did you want to come to the Monarch Fire Protection District?

A: I saw it as a great opportunity and a great challenge to further my career and continue my service of helping people. It's a bigger district than Mid-County, and it comes with different challenges from the standpoint of a larger staff to work with. But no matter the size, the structure of the political subdivision is the same.

Q: How are you dealing with controversies underway within the district, such as the recent firings of some command-level officers and division between board members over lawsuits and other issues?

A: To be quite honest, I'm trying to put the past behind us. I wasn't involved with those decisions. But I think the board is doing everything in its power to be transparent and move the district in a positive direction. I'm in charge of day-to-day operations while the board makes the long-term decisions. My job is to manage those operations and report progress to the board. I've had no dealings with the lawsuits or similar issues, and I prefer that. I'm hoping to bring people together. A primary goal of mine is to open lines of communication between the chief's office and the rank and file and with our taxpayers. I want to be a resource.

Q: As new chief, what are some of your priorities for the district?

A: Some of them are to open up communications, not only between labor and management, but between the district and constituents we serve. Fiscal responsibility is important. The board passed a balanced budget despite significant loss of revenues from lower assessed valuations. These are trying times for many districts. As the needs of the district grow with developments underway within the next few years, we're looking at long-range planning. I know there are developments being proposed in Chesterfield Valley, which may eventually point toward the need for a new fire station. We're developing a master plan for the district and doing a needs assessment. Also important is maintaining and improving our ISO rating, which determines fire insurance rates for residents and businesses.

Q: Some residents have said they feel the district now is controlled by the firefighters' union. Do you feel that's the case?

A: I don't feel that's the case. One of my goals is to develop a working relationship with the men and women of this district, where we can work together to accomplish our goals. These are men and women who've dedicated their lives to the fire service and just happen to belong to a union. But I certainly don't believe the union controls this fire district.

Q: What do you see as the future of Monarch, especially with the vast majority of calls being for EMS rather than for fires? Will the district have to change in some ways?

A: I think the district has changed over the last several years. We currently only hire firefighter/paramedics cross-trained to ride on either a fire truck or ambulance. And our fire trucks are all ALS equipped, which means they have advanced life-saving equipment on board. The newer buildings in this area, with new fire codes in force now, are safer. But I think the need for fire protection will never go away, and our residents can rest assured that our service will not be compromised in any fashion.