Frank Magsamen: Former fire chief continues to make difference in Cedar Valley community

Magsamen, 80, is one of the recipients of a Courier Eight over 80 award for making a difference in the Cedar Valley.

The former Waterloo Fire Rescue chief and elected official said he didn’t understand why he received one of the annual awards.

“(Community service) is not something that you expect recognition for,” he said. “It’s something that you do because you see the need out there.”

“I’ve been fortunate to be involved in this community for quite a number of years,” he continued. “It’s been rewarding to be able to address some of the needs in the community and Cedar Valley here.”

He started in the public sector in 1967 at Waterloo Fire Rescue as a firefighter. He climbed the ranks until becoming the fire chief in 1994. He stayed in that position until 2001. Being at the top of the ladder, literally and figuratively, was his “cornerstone of opportunities.”

“Being able to be the fire chief of Waterloo Fire Rescue was certainly something I was very proud of,” he said. “I was very proud of, to be able to work in that capacity both for the community and for the firefighters themselves.”

After leaving the fire department, he spent the next six years as Black Hawk County’s emergency management and homeland security coordinator. He resigned from that post after being elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2006. He stayed on the board until 2018.

Already in a county role that worked for the cities’ mayors and county supervisors, he wanted to provide his knowledge and help the broader community as one of the five elected officials.

“I felt there was a need for some continuity and common sense to be utilized in Black Hawk County’s Board of Supervisors,” he said. “I think I made a real difference in how the county was positioned for the future.”

In his 12 years on the board, he touted that they were the first county to bond for improving county roads and that many county-owned buildings started to install solar panels to create power to both help the environment and save on energy costs.

With his expertise in public safety, the supervisors approved an interchange to prevent fatal accidents at U.S. Highway 218 and Cedar Wapsi Road. County public safety officers also received an upgraded radio system.

In a different sense of public safety, he was the board chair during the 2008 flood, which devastated the Cedar Valley. He and the board worked to mitigate future flood damage and to repair damaged county facilities.

During his tenure, he was involved with efforts to address and provide mental health care services in the county. Black Hawk County regionalized its social services. Many counties would follow in Black Hawk County’s footsteps and model their services after it. The county also opened a crisis stabilization center. All this happened while the county improved and sustained its cash reserves.

Magsamen continues to advocate for mental health as the chair of Elevate CCBHC’s mental health board. The organization provides crisis care services and intervention, medication management services, therapy and substance abuse disorder treatment.

He also is the co-chair of the Cedar Valley Honor Flight program which flies area veterans to military memorials in Washington, D.C. He and Craig White, another former county supervisor, started the effort.

Magsamen is a member of the Waterloo Exchange Club and serves on the Northeast Iowa Juvenile Detention Board. He hasn’t stopped participating in the community because he still has the ability to be active.

“I’m fortunate to be able to participate in volunteer work,” he said. “The need still exists.”

Recently, he was named volunteer of the year for the Waterloo Exchange Club and the Lakes and Prairie District Exchange Clubs.

He attributes his selflessness to his wife, Carolana, who died last year at age 81. The couple were deeply involved in charity work.

“(She) was certainly supportive of my involvement in the community and encouraged me and made it possible, truthfully,” he said with tears in his eyes. “She was such a great supporter of it.”

This story has been updated to reflect that there is an interchange at Cedar Wapsi Road and U.S. Highway 218.