The El Dorado Fire and Rescue (EFR) is an all volunteer fire department that relies on members of the community to contribute their time and energy to support public safety in the district. We are always looking for new volunteers who have the interest, commitment and who want to make a difference in the community. We need volunteers interested in firefighting and/or emergency medical services. In addition, we need volunteers who may not be interested in the operational aspects of firefighting but who would be willing to help out with all the administrative tasks necessary to keep the fire department running.
If you are interested in volunteering with EFR, we encourage you to drop by Station 1 during the first two Saturdays mornings of the month between 9AM and Noon. Meet us, pick up an application
What commitment must I make to volunteer with EFR? Volunteering with the fire service requires a greater commitment than many other types of volunteer work. There are trainings to attend, equipment to maintain and calls to respond to. EFR asks that active members attend 2 – 3 training sessions per month, a half-day duty section every third Saturday and respond to 33% of all calls.
I work during the day and cannot respond to calls from work. Many of our members have full time jobs. Some have job flexibility that allows them to respond to calls during the day and some do not. Even if you can’t respond during the normal workday we would love to have you as a member. And by the way, only about 25% of all calls for service occur weekdays between 8 AM and 5 PM.
I have no experience in the fire service. Does EFR accept volunteers without prior experience? Some new volunteers come to us with prior experience in the fire or emergency medical services and many do not. We welcome you either way and EFRS provides all of the training you will need to become a full and active member.
I would like to volunteer for emergency medical services but am not sure I want to fight structural or wildland fires. EFS has members that volunteer only on the emergency medical services side, some that volunteer for fire and rescue only and some that do both. We welcome everyone.
I don’t think I want to respond to emergencies but are there other ways I can help? You bet. EFR is always looking for volunteers to help out with the wide variety of administrative functions that it takes to keep the fire department running. We need help with purchasing, general ledger work, call for service data entry and much more. If you’re interested in helping we can always find something that needs doing.
Does EFR have an age limit to be a volunteer firefighter? You must be 18 years of age to volunteer with EFR although we do have a cadet program for those between the ages of 16 and 18. There is no upper age limit for membership but at age 55 or older a yearly physical exam may be required. Also, please remember, the fire service requires fairly strenuous physical activity and we encourage anyone interested in volunteering to be in reasonably good physical condition.
How long does the initial training take? This varies significantly by individual including whether they have prior experience in the fire service and their willingness to attend additional trainings or duty sections. Typically, an individual coming to EFR without fire service experience takes approximately 6 months to be a full member.
Does EFR supply me with all the equipment I need to be a volunteer firefighter? For the most part the answer to this question is yes. However, EFR does not provide uniforms or footwear other than that used during structural firefighting.