DES MOINES, IOWA - Thursday, December 18, 2025 - A familiar face will become the next Des Moines Fire Department Chief. This afternoon City Manager Scott Sanders announced current DMFD Fire Marshal Jonathan Lund as his choice to become DMFD's 14^th Fire Chief.

"Jonathan Lund has dedicated his professional life to the fire service and I am confident he is uniquely prepared to lead Iowa's largest Fire Department," City Manager Scott Sanders said. "Chief Lund stood out from a field of impressive candidates in part because of his impressive achievements, and his dedication to the residents of Des Moines."

Following the City Manager's choice, the City Council will consider a resolution at its Monday, December 22 meeting to endorse Sanders' hiring of Jonathan Lund.

"Our community has high expectations for its fire department and its fire chief," Mayor Connie Boesen said. "DMFD has met those expectations as one of our City's highest-rated departments according to our residents, and Jonathan will guide DMFD to grow even stronger."

Feedback that informed and shaped the hiring process was collected from community stakeholders, City Council members and fire department employees. That input highlighted desired qualities for the DMFD chief including operational readiness, use of technology to improve responses and firefighter safety.

"We listened to the priorities of our stakeholders who said they wanted a Fire Chief that would look to continue minimizing service gaps, embrace emerging technology and utilize the latest in fire science standards to protect our first responders," Sanders said. "These principals helped frame and focus our search. We found that Jonathan's adaptability and leadership for the Des Moines community is well-established in these key areas."

Lund began his career at DMFD18 years ago as the department's first Fire Protection Engineer before spending the past 13 years as the Fire Marshal. In addition to his time with DMFD, Lund served the Norwalk Fire Department as a Captain / EMT for 12 years.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the next Fire Chief for the Des Moines Fire Department," Lund said. "During my career, the DMFD has evolved as an organization and continuously worked to improve our methods to protect both our community and our firefighters. My focus will be working with our team to continue improving as an industry leader in safety, delivering superior fire suppression and protection alongside world class medical care and training for our team. Des Moines residents and guests deserve the best Fire and EMS services possible and I will do everything I can to ensure that happens."

During Lund's time with the City, he has developed the City's fire protection standards, overseen its fire prevention education efforts and led the placement and innovative designs of both Fire Station 11 and Fire Station 4 which incorporated cutting-edge measures to enhance firefighter health and safety.

"Jonathan has consistently displayed that his attention to detail and methods of analyzing data and ability to apply that information into practical measures are skills that will be valuable tools to lead the Des Moines Fire Department into the future," Sanders said. "His ability to balance the needs of both his employees and our residents will benefit the department and our entire community as he guides decision-making for DMFD based on the best available information and practices."

Throughout his career, Lund has held leadership roles in professional organizations, serving on the Industry Advisory Board for both Oklahoma State University (FPSET) and Des Moines Area Community College (Fire Technology), as President of the Hawkeye State Fire Safety Association and the Iowa Fire Marshals Association and participating in multiple roles for the International Code Council (ICC), International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE).

Lund possesses a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection & Safety Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University, a Master of Public Administration from Drake University and is an Executive Fire Officer, Certified Public Manager, Licensed Professional Engineer in fire protection among numerous additional professional certifications.

Once council endorses Sanders' choice for Fire Chief, Lund will begin his first day as Fire Chief on December 23, 2025, following the retirement of current Fire Chief John TeKippe on Monday, December 22, 2025.