Storm Lake fire chief resigns, assistant chief steps in temporarily

Assistant Chief Blake Severson is running the Storm Lake Fire Department after Chief Terence Sinner resigned July 3. The department serves 93 square miles around Storm Lake, Truesdale, Lakeside and the rural townships of Hayes, Washington and much of Grant, with just two full-time employees and 27 volunteer firefighters.

The city is now reviewing candidates for a permanent chief after Sinner replaced Glenn Schlesser last fall. City Manager Keri Navratil said the department remains ready for service during the transition period: “we also assure the public that their fire department is in strong condition to continue service to the community whenever needed, through the transition period to a new leader.”

Sinner arrived with a long public-safety résumé. Before coming to Storm Lake, he spent three years as division chief of fire prevention and fire marshal in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. His background also included work as a fire inspector in Arizona and service as a battalion chief in the U.S. Department of Defense. He had more than three decades in fire service when Storm Lake hired him.

Schlesser served about four years as chief before leaving, and in 2025 he helped launch a junior firefighters program and host a regional fire school. That same year, he received the Iowa Society of Fire Service Instructors’ Floyd Nelson Fire Service Instructor Award.

In December 2024, the Storm Lake City Council approved a $2.8 million purchase of a new fire engine and tower. With only one full-time firefighter besides the chief, plus volunteer crews spread across Buena Vista County’s north end, the department continues to rely on a small staff and volunteers.