Community service honors presented

Pvt. John Schindler of the Mehlville Fire Protection District recently was presented an Outstanding Community Service Award by the South County Chamber of Com-merce.

Also receiving Outstanding Community Service Awards at the chamber’s Feb. 20 awards dinner were Lt. Chris Stocker of the St. Louis County Police Department, SMSgt Art Schuermann of the Missouri Air National Guard and Officer Val Krause of the St. Louis County Police Depart-ment’s 3rd Precinct.

Schindler has been a member of the Mehlville Fire Protection District since 1988 and currently holds the rank of engineer, according to a fire protection district news release.

“Receiving this award is a great honor,” Schindler stated in the release. “I am proud to be a member of the Mehlville Fire Pro-tection District and part of the south county community.”

Schindler was born and raised in the Oakville area and graduated from Oakville Senior High School in 1976. He began his career in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter for the Gardenville Fire District and was hired as a paid firefighter with the Shrewsbury Fire Department. In 1988, Schindler was hired by the Mehlville Fire Protection District.

Recognizing the need for further education and training, Schindler completed his associate of fire science degree in 1985 and his bachelor of fire science degree in 1987. Besides other college-level classes, he has obtained and maintained a Missouri Emergency Medical Technician certification and is a certified hazardous materials technician. He is a current member of the St. Louis County HazMat Team.

Schindler also has served as Mehlville Firefighters Local 1889 chairman for the annual Fill the Boot campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Fill the Helmet for the Burn Foundation and Summer Camp. Both of these projects involve coordinating on-duty personnel to collect, accounting for funds and presenting the money to the organization.

Schindler has served as the personal protective equipment manager for the Mehl-ville Fire Protection District.

This voluntary responsibility involves working with administrative staff to create a budget to repair or replace damaged protective equipment, according to the news release. He also conducts a yearly equipment review to ensure that each employee’s personal protective gear is in good, safe condition.

He is married to Joanne and he has an 18-year-old son, Bryce.

When not at the firehouse, he is an avid model railroader. He is actively involved in the Gateway Division of the National Model Railroad Association and is a founding member of the Hidden River Valley Model Railroad Club.