Join The Team & Family

Volunteer firefighters respond to fires, medical emergencies, personal rescue situations, vehicle accidents, structural emergencies, and more. 

All of this is done on your time with your availability. Once on board, you and the chief will help to manage your schedule and availability to provide service to the community where you are able and best suited.

We highly recommend this very thorough primer “What to Expect – A Guide for new Firefighter Families” (PDF) provided by the National Volunteer Firefighter Council.

There is no typical volunteer firefighter. It is a collection of individuals who lead everyday regular lives with jobs and families who feel a civic duty to be a part of keeping their community safe.

Outside of making your community a better and safer place, there are several benefits to serving at the Yorktown Fire Department.

Call Stipends: Volunteers are not on salaried or hourly pay, but they are provided a stipend for responding to calls. Some YFD firefighters have an extra $7K-$8K per year in the bank for the calls, timeframes, and overnights where they have made themselves available.

Training: All training (required and optional) is provided at no charge to our volunteers, including advanced special training like operations, leadership, and medical (up to EMT-Basic).

Experience: Whether your volunteer service is preparation for a career position or simply a civic duty, the experience you will earn will be beneficial and marketable in many careers. With nearly 1,000 calls a year, you will have plenty of opportunity to respond to calls that interest you. All of our equipment and apparatus are current tech, modern, and even includes special rescue techniques. YFD is known for having some of the best equipment around.

Giving Back: As a volunteer firefighter, you will have a massive impact on the community, individuals, and their families. What you do could be saving a life.

Volunteer firefighters are expected to:

• Respond to 10% of calls within a month or serve 24 hours on station
• Operate 2 night shifts a month (from 10pm-6am)
• Attend one of two monthly meetings (first Sunday at 9am or 3rd Monday at 7pm).

Yes! A 17-year-old can go through the training and even serve in some roles as part of the hands-on team at the fire station. They can only respond to calls on scene or drive an apparatus once they turn 18. This gets them an advanced start so that they can be ready to serve as firefighters as soon as they are age-eligible.

All of our firefighters must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Possess a valid driver’s license
• Have a high school diploma or G.E.D.
• Be of good mental and physical health
• Pass a physical examination
• Pass a comprehensive background check
• Pass a toxicology screen
• Follow all department guidelines and operating procedures
• Participate in scheduled station duties
• Attend at least one of two monthly meetings – meetings are held each month on the first Sunday at 9:00 AM and the third Monday at 7:00 PM.

In addition:

• Residents of Mt. Pleasant Township must participate in 20% of all calls on a monthly basis
• Residents living outside of Mt. Pleasant Township must log 24 hours of on station time per month.
• Logged hours need to be Monday through Friday between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM and must be in blocks of 4 hours or more.

Members of the Fire Department are also members of the Yorktown/Mt. Pleasant Township Firefighter’s Association. The purpose of this organization is to support the fire department and the community. The Association sponsors or supports local community events such as the annual Halloween Party & Haunted Hayride. An annual dues of $24 is required.

As a volunteer, you will be in control of your schedule. Flexibility is one of the many great benefits of the volunteer fire service. You can frame your civic duty through the department around work, kid’s sports, vacations, etc. Every volunteer helps to operate the station with overnights 2 times per month.

You can apply online through our website. Once we receive your application, we will guide you through the next steps, including interviews and orientation.

While there is no mandatory long-term commitment, we hope that volunteers can commit to at least one year of service to ensure team stability and effective budget management.

No, all training costs are covered by the Yorktown Volunteer Fire Department.

Training classes are primarily held at the Yorktown Fire Station.

The comprehensive training program includes both classroom learning and hands-on training to ensure you are well-prepared and equipped for real-life situations.

You will be able to ride a fire truck and respond to calls after completing your Firefighter 1 and 2 training, which takes approximately 3-4 months.

There are no additional mandatory commitments during training, but there may be opportunities for you to visit the station, meet the team, and learn more about being a Yorktown Volunteer Firefighter.

You will need to complete a medical certification within two years of joining the department. You can choose to obtain either an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) or EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) certification. The cost of this training is covered by the department.

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us, and we will be happy to assist you.