Moffitt named interim Poplar Bluff fire chief

The city has named an interim chief to run the day-to-day operations of the Poplar Bluff Fire Department as Chief Ralph Stucker continues to recover from emergency surgery to removed blood clot that was obstructing his breathing.

Effective Friday, “Battalion Chief Mike Moffitt will become interim fire chief for the city of Poplar Bluff Fire Department,” said City Manager Mark Massingham in a memo to all city departments.

Moffitt has been with the department since 1996, Massingham said. He has served as battalion chief for 10 years.

“He has considerable knowledge of the day-to-day operations of the fire department, and he has the experience and integrity to run the department in Chief Stucker’s absence,” Massingham said.

Stucker has been out since he had surgery Jan. 30 at a St. Louis hospital to reattach the meniscus back to the bone.

The chief had injured his knee while attempting to retrieve equipment from the bed of his pickup on a fire scene.

On Feb. 13, Stucker was hospitalized after he experienced difficulty breathing and collapsed at his home.

He was taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where it was discovered he was suffering from a pulmonary embolism that was straddling both lobes of his lungs, obstructing his airways.

Sucker subsequently was transferred to Saint Francis Medical Center, where he underwent surgery Feb. 14 remove the clot.

“He is making progress,” said Stucker’s wife, Pam. “They now have him in inpatient rehab here at Saint Francis.

“They are working on getting him mobile and building up his endurance.”

Moffitt said he and the chief spoke on Sunday evening.

“He asked if I would be willing to step in and be interim chief at this time to take care of the day-to-day duties,” said Moffitt. “We just want to take the pressure off of him so he has time to recover.”

Moffitt said he and his fellow firefighters will do the best they can to “try to handle anything that comes up.”

“We’ve got a group of guys down there, everyone’s supportive,” Moffitt said. “We’ll just take care of things as long as we need to until he can heal up and recover and come back.”

Until Stucker returns, Moffitt’s shift will work one-man short.

Capt. Jeffery Hale, he said, will be stepping up to serve as battalion chief for the interim on B shift.

“We all pray for a speedy recovery for Chief Stucker and look forward to his return,” Massingham said.