Fire Corps

The Department of Homeland Security officially launched the Fire Corps program on Dec. 9, 2004. This program was designed to encourage active citizen support of volunteer and career fire departments. Homeland Security created the program to support fire departments across the country by leveraging community volunteer efforts to handle non-emergency activities, thereby enabling fire service personnel to focus more fully on acute emergency tasks. Green Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in conjunction with the Green Valley Fire District decided to create the Green Valley Fire Corps program.

In the Green Valley Fire District this translates to Fire Corps responding to a multitude of non-emergency calls:

• Snake calls.
• Smoke detector checks.
• Clearing fire hydrants, and marking their locations.
• Changing smoke detector batteries.

In addition, Fire Corps has filled a critical need in many other areas of district operations.

• Deliver all the interdepartmental mail.
• Help with organizing and filing.
• Run errands.
• Deliver station supplies.
• Assist with the shuttling of apparatus and equipment.
• Assist with the update of Fire District maps.

Fire Corps has made it possible to keep larger District fire trucks off the street and available for more critical incidents. This results in substantial savings in equipment wear and tear and fuel usage. The District continues to find ways to involve Fire Corps in their system and they continue to respond with positive and helpful attitudes.

The 24 Fire Corps members have completed approximately 20 hours of CERT training along with an additional 20 hours of specialized training. This training is all done in-house by GVFD personnel. Some of the training covers radio procedures, desert pest removal, computer use, report writing, and driver operations. At the present time, the District is looking at building on the program, which began approximately 18 months ago. Fire Corps is working extremely well for GVFD, and in the near future the district can begin to calculate exactly how much they are saving the taxpayers.

Fire Corps members Dave and Judy Smith with captured bull snake.

Fire Corps members Tom Allen and Steve Buttrey changing a smoke detector battery.