Monnig named new Ash Grove fire chief, now a paid position

The Ash Grove Fire Protection District has a new leader. Anthony Monnig, an Ash Grove native, was hired as fire chief on Thursday, Jan. 31. He replaces Kim Grant, who resigned on Dec. 21, 2018, after more than 20 years of volunteer service to the district.
Monnig, who also serves as Battalion Chief in the Battlefield Fire Protection District, has 14 years of experience as a firefighter. He said his schedule in Battlefield leaves him with ample time to handle his duties with the AGFPD.
“In Battlefield, I’m lucky enough that we’re on a 48/96 schedule rotation,” he said. “I work 48 hours in a row, so I do leave for two days at a time, but whenever I’m home, I’m home for a straight four days. So, being a part-time position, those four days definitely allow me time to complete the projects that we have going on here.”
Monnig is the first fire chief in the AGFPD to be paid; he receives a stipend of $15,000 per year. He said the district’s board of directors chose to make the job of fire chief a paid position because they felt it required more responsibility than what could be asked of a volunteer.
“It is my understanding … that they believed that the hours that it took to run this department exceeded what a volunteer would be able to do,” he said, “and so they felt like that maybe if they offered it as a part-time paid position … that maybe someone would be able to devote hours to it that they weren’t able to before. And, I am the perfect example of that. My family and I had a pawn shop here in Ash Grove for 23 years, and during that time, it would have (required) time I could spend here. With (this job) being a paid position, I don’t have to worry about that second part-time job. I can concentrate on here.  It allows you to focus your time because you don’t have to worry about a job.”