STRAWBERRY POINT, Iowa (KCRG) – At approximately 8:45 pm, Thursday, the Strawberry Point Fire Department in eastern Iowa, ceased to exist. In a message on their Facebook page, the department said the unanimous decision was influenced by a lack of support from the city council and the mayor.

The department says that they have not made the decision lightly, and that they have contacted surrounding agencies to provide coverage during this time as part of their 28E agreement.

The message posted by the Strawberry Point F.D. is as follows:

“It’s with a heavy heart that the Strawberry Point Fire Department has voluntarily made the unanimous decision to turn our pagers in effective immediately. Our decision has been influenced by the continued lack of support from the city council and mayor. This has had a devastating effect on member recruitment, retention, day-to-day operations and morale.This decision has not been made lightly as many of us have friends and family who live, work and visit the City of Strawberry Point and we genuinely care about all of our citizens. Certain members of City Council have placed our department under tremendous strain, and it is imperative that the lack of support, failure to communicate and personal bias be addressed promptly. The safety of our citizens and the effectiveness of our emergency response team depend on it. We are contacting our 28E agreement surrounding agencies to provide coverage during this time.”