Why Apply to Volunteer

Why would you want to be a firefighter? And why would you volunteer your time to do it? Firefighting is strenuous, dangerous, and potentially deadly work that often involves dealing with tragedies and stressful situations for both those who call for help and us as first responders. Despite these challenges, there are dedicated individuals willing to step forward and serve others.

You might be surprised to know that the vast majority of U.S. firefighters are volunteers. This brings up an important question: What if volunteer firefighters didn’t volunteer? Without volunteers, it would be astronomically more expensive for local governments to provide fire protection services because they would have to hire all the necessary personnel. In some cases, fire protection might not be feasible, leading to skyrocketing insurance premiums.

Our department is a combination of career and volunteer firefighters, which helps balance operating costs and staffing needs. However, the rate of new volunteers has declined nationwide due to economic, family, and generational changes. To address this, our department staffs a paid firefighter every day during times when most volunteers are at their day jobs. While this improves our response times, it’s not a complete solution. One firefighter can only do so much during an emergency, so we still rely heavily on volunteers.

Even though volunteer rates are down, we are actively working to attract, train, and retain new volunteers to ensure adequate staffing. Our efforts have helped us maintain a strong membership of dedicated individuals.