On the first and third Saturdays of each month (unless otherwise posted on our Facebook page), we hold training called duty crews. At these monthly training sessions, we discuss calls that happened, lessons learned, gain new information, brush up on what we already know, and more.
These duty crews are open to the public for several reasons.
First, we are ALWAYS seeking more volunteer firefighters. You do NOT need to have prior training. We will train you from the ground up. You don’t need to spend any money. We provide the bunker gear, brush gear, and anything else you need.
Second, we want the residents of our district to see why we need you to pay your Annual Dues. This is a huge challenge. If all residents paid their dues every year, we would have around $45,000/department to operate the departments on; however, we are actually only receiving about 10%-20% of the annual dues. This does not cover our insurance, monthly bills, or parts for the fire trucks, let alone gear for keeping the firefighters safe unless we supplement for those not paying their dues. Our chief officers and various board members have been paying for things out of their own pockets for years. Donations have allowed us to provide the gear for new firefighters, such as the generous donation of 11 sets of brush gear from Lebanon City Fire in June 2025.
Third, transparency is key in today’s fire service. We want people to understand who the firefighters are that protect them, what their training entails, and the state of the equipment. We aren’t lacking for passion, heart, and soul when it comes to serving the residents and visitors of our districts. We just need the support of those we protect.
Sleeper & Stoutland Volunteer Fire Departments 