Photo: Fire Division web site
On May 7, 2004, J. Mike Beers (right), who served as chief of the Springfield Fire Rescue Division from 2000-2010, received an Ohio Fire Executive diploma from Stan Crosley, president of the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association at Ohio State University.
James Cushman 1855 (Volunteer)
Abram Ludlow 1856-1857 (Volunteer)
Jeremiah Klinefelter 1857-1859 (Volunteer)
William Blakeny 1859-1865 (Volunteer)
Abram Ludlow 1865-1871
Robert King 1891-1879
J. Christie Holloway 1879-1882
William Moore Jr. 1882-1884
Ed Simpson 1884-1895
George Follrath, 1895-1904
Samuel Hunter, 1904-1928 (Hired from outside fire division)
Louis Locher, 1928-1934
Grover Frock, 1934-1952
Willard Compton, 1952-1963
John Gnau, 1963-1970
Frank Trempe Jr. 1970-1980
William Edgington 1980-1983
William Casey 1984-1989 (Served as acting chief before appointment. Also acted as temporary city manager.)
Donald Lee 1992-1997 (Served as acting chief before appointment )
Frank Montes De Oca Jr. 1997-2000 (Hired from outside fire division)
J. Mike Beers 2000-2010
Nicholas Heimlich 2010-present
Over the years, three of Springfield's fire chiefs served as presidents of the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association: 1919-21 Chief Samuel F. Hunter, 1937-38 Chief Grover L. Frock, 1958-59
Chief Willard C. Compton.
The chief's association presented its Distinguished Service Award to retired Springfield Fire Chief Frank Trempe in 1983. The members of Box 27 Associates received the Distinguished Service Award a year earlier.
In the 1800s, former Springfield Fire Chief A.R. Ludlow, who also served as the city's Police and Fire Commissioner, ran for Governor of Ohio on the anti-liquor Prohibition ticket.