Staff

Deputy Chief of Operations 

Deputy Chief Hackett has been with the Ames Fire Department since 2000, promoted to Lieutenant in 2007, Shift Commander in 2013, and Deputy Chief in 2019. He has an associate’s degree in Fire Science from Des Moines Area Community College and a Bachelor of Art's degree in Public Administration from Columbia College.He is certified by the State of Iowa in several areas including Fire Officer I, Fire Instructor I, Firefighter II, Driver/Operator: Pumper, Emergency Medical Responder, and Hazardous Materials Technician.

Deputy Chief of Support

Deputy Chief Tapper has been with the Ames Fire Department since 1999, promoted to Lieutenant in 2006, Shift Commander in 2016, and Deputy Chief in 2022. She has a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in Fire Rescue Executive Leadership from Waldorf University. She has several certifications including Fire Officer II, Fire Service Instructor II, Fire Fighter II, Driver/Operator: Pumper, Emergency Medical Responder, and Fire Department Safety Officer's Association Incident Safety Officer.

Commander Folkmann has been with the Ames Fire Department since 1997, promoted to Lieutenant in 2009, and Shift Commander in 2019. He is certified by the State of Iowa in several areas including Firefighter II, Fire Officer I, Fire Instructor I, Driver/Operator: Pumper, EMR, and Hazmat Tech.

Commander Lucchesi has been with the Ames Fire Department since 2005, promoted to Lieutenant in 2012, and Shift Commander in 2019.He is certified by the State of Iowa in several areas including Firefighter II, Fire Officer I, Fire Instructor I, Driver/Operator: Pumper, Paramedic, and Hazmat Tech.

Commander Jerkins has been with the Ames Fire Department since 2002, promoted to Lieutenant in 2016, and Shift Commander in 2022. He has a bachelor’s degree in Fire and Emergency Services Administration. He is certified by the State of Iowa in several areas including Firefighter II, Fire Officer I, Fire Instructor I, Driver/Operator: Pumper, EMT, and Hazmat Tech.

Training Officer Plach has been with the Ames Fire Department since 2010 and was promoted Training Officer in 2020. He has an associate’s degree in Fire Protection from Fox Valley Technical College and a bachelor’s degree in Fire and Emergency Response Management from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He has completed the Managing Fire Officer Program through the National Fire Academy. He is certified by the State of Iowa in several areas including Firefighter II, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Inspector I, Driver/Operator: Pumper and Aerial, Incident Safety Officer, Emergency Medical Technician, and Hazardous Materials Technician.

Inspector Ziph has been with the Ames Fire Department since 2017. Prior to that, he was employed by St. Joseph Fire Department as the Fire Inspector/Investigator and Accelerant Detection Canine Handler. He has an associate’s degree in Paramedic Technology from Missouri Western State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Charter Oak State College.He has several certifications including Firefighter II, Fire Officer II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Inspector I, and Fire Investigator. He is certified as a Fire Plans Examiner and Fire Inspector II through the International Codes Council, as well as a Certified Fire Investigator through the International Association of Arson Investigators. He holds the designations of Fire Marshal and Fire Officer from the Center for Public Safety Excellence and is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers.