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Without our dedicated volunteers, the more than 50,000 residents of rural Boone County would face a much greater tax burden to employ and outfit full-time Firefighters and EMS Responders, or otherwise be without protection.  

Our Volunteers

Volunteer firefighters come from all walks of life.  Our members are farmers, doctors, teachers, nurses, construction workers, EMT’s, paramedics,  students, accountants, and career firefighters. They joined the department to give back to their community and help their neighbors in times of need.  Along the way, they have developed friendships and a strong sense of family with those on the Fire District.

Volunteering Can Make a Difference in Your Community and Will Change Your Life!

Training

The lives and property of our citizens depends on well-trained volunteers. The training you will receive will help you develop the valuable skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in your role with Boone County Fire, and prepare you with skills that will last a lifetime.  Training for our volunteers follows two main phases: Initial Training and Continuing Education.

Initial Training

The Recruit Training Program includes:

  • approximately 450 total hours of training over the various disciplines and topics.
  • an initial six months of scheduled training sessions followed by an additional six months of experience during the one-year probationary period.
  • Fire / Rescue / Hazardous Materials training to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) applicable standards (NFPA 1001, OSHA 1910.120).
  • National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician certification and Missouri EMT licensure.

General schedule:

  • “Spring” class begins in early February.  Interviews are conducted in early October of the previous year with final selections made by mid-November (prior to Thanksgiving).
  • “Fall” class begins in early August.  Interviews are conducted in early April of that same year with final selections made by late May (prior to Memorial Day).

Schedule details:

  • Tuesday and Thursday evening sessions each week during the initial six months from 6pm until 10pm.
  • Saturday and Sunday weekend sessions every other week during the initial four months from 8am until 5pm for a total of seven weekends.
  • Specific dates are chosen to work around holidays.  The EMT testing dates are approximate and are dependent on the state testing scheduling process.  They are shown as examples to illustrate how we fit our curriculum into a six-month window.

Phased release to Field Operations:

  • Following the Core Block (initial five weeks), Recruits are phased into Field Operations under the preceptorship of experienced members.
  • Upon completion of the Fire Block (weeks six through fifteen), Recruits move to Probationary Status and continue to be under the preceptorship of experienced members while working on apparatus-operator qualification. We mark this significant accomplishment with a formal graduation ceremony.
  • After completion of the third block of instruction (the EMT Block) in week sixteen, Recruits are released to respond to the full range of calls from either the fire stations or in their personal vehicles.  
  • At the one year mark and following achievement of apparatus operator qualification, Recruits graduate from their probationary period and are considered fully qualified Firefighters or Emergency Medical Responders.

Apply Today

The first step to becoming a Volunteer is to apply. 

Have a question about Recruit Training?

Recruitment Form
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