Spring Valley Fire Department founder remembered for decades of volunteer service

There wasn’t an empty seat in the house at Louis Fowler’s funeral. Over 100 friends, family and first responders filled the room, with dozens standing in the back, to bid farewell to a fire chief who forged his own path to protect lives and property in Polk County.

In 1979, Fowler established the Spring Valley Fire Department in rural Polk County outside West Salem. He worked as a volunteer there for 46 years, holding every…