Commissioner Dennis Miller
Fire Chief: Mickey Marshall, a fire fighter since 1986; Appointed Chief 1999.

The Benton Fire Department is located at 107 N. Maple Street. The Benton Fire Department is a combination department, with seven full time fire fighters including the Chief, and twenty paid on call firemen. The fire station is manned twenty-four hours a day. Our average response time is three minutes. We also have a Ladies Auxiliary organization that is always willing to help, and second to none in service to the community.

The Benton Fire Department Motto: AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A TON OF WATER. The Benton firefighters take this motto to heart! We have developed an outstanding fire prevention program that is taught in grades K thru 6. In addition to our exciting curriculum we have also built and furnished a "Smoke House" Our dedicated officers bring this trailer to public gatherings in an effort to teach our citizens, especially children, how to escape from a burning house. Through our Ladies Auxiliary we distribute smoke alarms to those residents who cannot afford them. Along with our normal firefighting duties we also perform search & rescue and auto extrication when needed.

Our department recently completed an ISO (Insurance Services Organization) inspection. Due to our on going efforts to improve quality of fire protection for the community, we were awarded a class 4 rating by ISO. This new rating is expected to lower the insurance rates paid by those who live and/or operate a business in Benton.

If you have any comments, constructive criticisms, or suggestions on how we can more effectively serve the citizens of Benton please feel free to contact Chief Mickey Marshall at 618/439-2511 or e-mail.