The Riverside Fire Department is reaching out to the community for new firefighters and emergency medical services personnel.

The department is now accepting applications from any community members who are interested in joining the department as a firefighter or EMS member. Riverside Fire Chief Chad Smothers says that the department generally recruits around this time of year to get a feel for community interest and remind everyone of the opportunities the department has to offer. He stresses that these services play an important role in communities and encourages residents from all over southeast Iowa to get involved with their local departments, “In general, whether it’s for Riverside Fire Department or any of the fire departments and EMS agencies in the county, it’s a great opportunity. If you’ve ever thought about it, get out there and help the departments out. Everyone is always looking for new members. As all of our departments get busier with calls, it just takes more people to handle the stuff we’re doing. If you’re interested, reach out to any of the local fire departments and they’ll help you through the process.”

New recruits will go through a one-year probationary period of training and certification. Smothers says that members can take certification classes at Kirkwood Community College or the University of Iowa and all costs are covered by the department. General requirements for the job include attending a monthly business meeting, monthly fire training, quarterly EMS training and emergency response. All members are assigned to squads who also perform vehicle and equipment inspections. Outside of department tasks, firefighters and EMS members will make appearances at community events such as school visits and town celebrations. All members are given a yearly stipend and pay per call. The application window will close on December 30th. For more information, visit here.