McKee named Dora fire chief, Spence is deputy chief


Jeremy McKee has been named the Dora fire chief. McKee serves as an Ozark County Sheriff’s Department reserve deputy, and is employed as the Dora School resource officer.

Josh Spence is now Dora VFD deputy chief.

The Dora Volunteer Fire Department has announced that Jeremy McKee has been named fire chief, and Josh Spence is now deputy fire chief. 

“I was born and raised in Dora. I discovered the fire department shortly after I got out of the Army in 2006,” McKee explained. “I imagine I was lured by the idea doing something exciting and the camaraderie.”

McKee said after attending a few Dora VFD events, he decided he wanted to be a part of what the small team of Dora residents were doing to give back to their community. 

“I ended up staying out of admiration for the core of ‘old timers’ we had. These guys started a department from scratch and learned on the job simply because the need was there, and they figured they would do something about it.”

The fire department isn’t the only area of public service McKee is involved with. He also serves as a deputy with Ozark County Sheriff’s Department and is employed as the school resource officer for Dora School. 

“I’ve seen enough of this world to know that Dora is a rare and special place, and the fire department is a small way I can give back.”

Josh Spence has been named second in command as deputy chief. He lives in Dora with his wife Tiffany and their two children. Tiffany is employed by the USPS and works out of the Dora post office. 

“I’ve lived in the Ozarks my whole life... I have roughly 13 years of firefighting and first responder experience. It’s been taught to me since I was a kid. My dad was a forestry agent with the conservation [department] and fought wildfires across the nation.”

Spence says that he serves as a volunteer firefighter as a way to give back to the community he lives in and to help when help is needed. 

“We live in an area where an ambulance can be far away, and I’ve seen a fire spread like a tidal wave. I know we as a department want to provide the community with best help we can in their time of need.”

Both McKee and Spence invite local residents to reach out with any concerns or to just say hi. For more information, visit the Dora Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page or stop by the fire station, located at 18298 Highway 181, in Dora. 

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423