A long-time fire service professional has joined the Little Dixie Fire Protection District as its new chief.

Eric Hartman steps in as the district’s new fire chief following the January 2025 retirement announcement of Bill Albus. A 38-year veteran of the Missouri fire service, Hartman began his career as a volunteer firefighter with the Centertown Rural Fire Association - now Regional West Fire Protection District - in 1987, according to a news release. Hartman joined the Rosecrans Fire Department near St. Joseph as a firefighter in 1998,  and he worked there he worked until accepting a firefighter position with the Columbia Fire Department in October 1999. He worked there until his retirement in 2019, and then has worked in other positions since leaving there.

Hartman began his Little Dixie position on April 1, and he will oversee one full-time employee, 35 volunteers and three fire stations across the district. The board selected Hartman after conducting an extensive search, as leading candidates participated in a highly competitive process with the board of directors. 

He told the Mexico Rotary Club on March 28 that he embraces honesty and transparency in his work and organizations, and then, on that note, said he was a Fulton Hornet, drawing good-natured groans from the group. He told Rotarians he was honored and humbled to be in the community.

“I am truly honored to be selected as the next fire chief of the Little Dixie Fire District,” Hartman said in the release. “It is very humbling to be in the position of following two of my fire service mentors, Chief Bill Albus and retired Chief Ken Hoover, and be able to lead a great district with a rich history into its next chapter. I look forward to supporting our dedicated volunteers as they continue to provide a high level of service to the citizens and visitors of Audrain County.”

Later, in an email to the Ledger, Hartman said “becoming a firefighter was actually a childhood dream.  Not unlike many kids, seeing fire trucks out in the community captured my interest at a young age.”

He said what he enjoys the most about the fire service  is the sense of pride, camaraderie and knowing you have a real opportunity to have a positive and life-changing impact in someone’s life.

Hartman holds an associate's degree in fire science from Community College of the Air Force. He is Fire Officer and Fire Instructor certified and is EMT-Basic licensed and holds a number of other certifications, including for chief fire administrator and the National Incident Management System certified.

At the Rotary meeting, Hartman shared a number of stories from his career, answered questions and lauded Little Dixie and its history, explaining he wants to take Little Dixie to the next level, “whatever that looks like.” He said he talked to the state and wants to make Little Dixie a hub of state-funded training, where courses would serve Little Dixie and other regional fire and EMS departments. 

Hartman also discussed the construction of a new station, but said he needs more information before he presents any recommendations to the district board. He said he would like to see any new station that replaces Station 1 be built in a place that is the best spot to serve people in the district, based on historical emergency response and target hazard location data.

During his career, in his time at Columbia, Hartman moved up the ranks, achieving the rank of captain, and served in multiple positions including assistant fire marshal/investigator, training division captain, public information officer, CERT Team coordinator, and in the emergency services division where he served until his retirement in October 2019, the release stated. 

Hartman had a concurrent career in the United States Air Force Reserve, where he retired at the rank of master sergeant/deputy fire chief in August 2014, the release stated. In November 2019, Hartman accepted the position of program manager-firefighter I/II and hazardous materials certification with the Missouri Division of Fire Safety’s Training and Certification Unit. 

He served in this position until April 2020, when he accepted a promotional opportunity to statewide fire mutual aid coordinator, also with the Missouri Division of Fire Safety. In this position, Hartman “managed readiness for Missouri’s robust fire mutual aid system, which included 814 fire departments spread across the state’s 114 counties,” the release stated, and Hartman worked at the fire and rescue desk at the State Emergency Operations Center during state emergencies. Hartman most recently served as a volunteer with the Boone County Fire Protection District. 

He is active in several local and regional fire organizations including the Missouri Association of Fire Chiefs, Fire Fighters’ Association of Missouri, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Missouri State Fair Fire Department.