We are an all volunteer department with all of our volunteers having full time jobs. The Eclectic Fire Department has the third largest fire district in Elmore County (52 square miles). The Eclectic Volunteer Fire Department boasts about its 35 member roster. Of the 35 members, 20 are certified as fire fighters, 4 of which are career certified, 27 are EVOC certified, and 12 hold EMT certification. 5- Paramedics, 1 Intermediate, and 6 Basics. Our department holds a 2 hour training class every Thursday night at 7pm, this is to ensure that our members are kept abreast of the ever changing fire/ems service. Several of these have also continued their training to become certified Firefighter 2's. Although everyone may not be certified, each member has hours of training to become the very best in his or her own field. This includes LP (propane) emergencies, confined space rescue, high-angle rope rescue, auto accident victim extrication, Emergency Vehicle Operators Course, First Responder, EMT – Basic, EMT – Paramedic, HazMat Technician, Fire Inspector, Fire Investigation, Fire Instructor, assisting with changing of equipment and finally helping to get refreshments for everyone.

The department now has a fully staffed ambulance should the need ever come to you and your family. This advanced life support unit is well equipped with the latest tools needed for any type of emergency. This truck and the service that it provides have become invaluable to many citizens in our community. This unit is staffed with highly trained volunteers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year which include five licensed Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), four paramedics, and several drivers with extensive driving training. The EMS service is always in need of volunteers willing to train and serve as drivers and medics.

Our department is fortunate to have all of the equipment we currently have, but the piece of equipment most valuable is the volunteer firefighters themselves. In order to keep firefighters as safe as possible in the environments that they face, there are certain items that each firefighter must have. The following is a list of these items along with their price: Self Contained Breathing Apparatus $1000, Coat- $450, Pants- $350, Helmet- $200 Boots- $150, Gloves- $30, and Hood- $30. As you can see this equipment is not cheap at all. The total cost to protect one firefighter is $2,210.00. Currently all of our firefighters have this equipment, except for the self-contained breathing apparatus.

In 2007 the Eclectic Fire Department responded to 337 calls for help. So far in 2008 the department has answered 117 calls. No equipment purchases or training would be possible without financial support. The main source of revenue comes from the county fee bill you pay at the end of every year with your property tax. Each fire district in Elmore County gets $50 per house and $100 per business in their fire district. This year the Eclectic Fire Department should receive around $70,000 from this tax. This averages out to each resident paying $4.17 per month for fire protection! This may sound like a large sum of money for a small department, but the payment on our main pumper is $17,000 per year. The fire department has aggressively pursued grant opportunities at the federal, state, and local levels. In 2004 we were awarded $27,000 from the Federal Fire Act to replace the 20 plus year-old jaws-of-life and purchased additional vehicle extrication equipment and air bags. One requirement to receive this grant was a 10% match from the fire department. Without your financial support, this would not have been possible.

The Eclectic community is a vibrant, growing community. Each year, new families are moving into our coverage area. The Eclectic Fire Department is a municipal fire department that takes on a tremendous challenge of protecting its citizens. If you feel this is a challenge you can help conquer, come visit us at the fire station on Thursday nights @ 7:00pm or contact the fire station at 541-4425 for more information on becoming part of the team.

Thank you in advance for your support.