Volunteer in a support role
Not every volunteer at a fire department goes on emergency calls. Departments, especially small rural ones, also need people who keep the equipment and station in shape, the books in order and the community informed. If you have a skill, offer it.
What support volunteers do
- Equipment maintenance and repair. Mechanics, welders and handy people help keep engines, tenders and tools ready.
- Station maintenance and grounds. Cleaning, painting, small repairs and landscaping.
- Facility upgrades and construction. Contractors and tradespeople help with projects the department could not otherwise afford.
- Bookkeeping and records. Keeping the accounts, reports and training records that a department is required to keep.
- Photography and social media. Photos of training nights and community events help recruit more volunteers.
- Grant writing and fundraising. Many departments pay for equipment with grants and community fundraisers.
- Public education and events. Helping at open houses, school visits, fairs, fundraisers such as spaghetti feeds, training events and other community events.
- Rehab at long incidents. Some departments have members who bring water and food and look after crews at long fires.
What a department needs varies. Some have formal auxiliary or support teams; others welcome help when someone offers it. See all the volunteer roles.
What it takes
Support roles usually ask much less of your time than firefighting, and many have no fitness test or long training. Departments still decide who they accept: many ask for an application and a background check, especially for anyone who will be at the station or around the equipment. Ask the department what it requires.
How to volunteer in a support role
- Find your local fire department in the directory.
- On its page, under Volunteers Wanted, select Support Application. The button works only once the fire department has taken over its page on FireDepartment.net, given us its contact information and said it is looking for support volunteers.
- Want to help once, or now and then? Select Offer Help to tell the department what you can do. See offering help.
- Button grayed out? Call the fire department directly at the number on its page and ask whether it could use your help.