04/24/2026
Volunteer firefighters give time and more to keep Lauderdale County safe
When homes catch fire, vehicles crash or residents suffer medical emergencies in Lauderdale County, the first people arriving to help aren’t getting paid. All throughout the county, volunteer firefighters respond to fires, medical calls and more, at all hours and all year round.
National Volunteers Week is April 19-25 and is used to bring attention to volunteer firefighters throughout the country.
Lauderdale County Volunteer Fire Service is made up of 17 stations, said Fire Coordinator Allan Dover. There are 22 physical buildings and more than 300 trained volunteers.
The frequency of calls is different for each station. Russell is currently the busiest station with around 150-225 calls per year, Dover said, with Collinsville and Martin seeing around 150 calls per year as well.
“It doesn’t seem like a lot whenever you talk about 150 calls, but on average you’re going to put at least two hours for that call,” he said. “So that’s 300 hours in a year that you’ve taken away from church, from family, from youth sports, things of that nature.”
Becoming a volunteer firefighter requires a lot of time. New volunteers go through a six-week orientation course and test before moving on to level 1 training, which is another six weeks. After that, it takes two more weeks to get through level 2 training, followed by eight hours at the fire academy.
While the official number is 88 hours to complete the training, Dover said its usually more around 250 hours to reach the level one and two certification.
“We will start our class on volunteer certification, and everybody’s really psyched. First night, 24, 25 people coming here, and then whenever they realize how much time they’re going to have to dedicate to this in order just to pass it, I’m down to 12, I’m down to 11 right now,” he said.
Fighting fires and responding to emergency calls takes a toll physically as well. Going from dead asleep to getting out the door as fast as possible in the middle of the night spikes blood pressure and heart rate, and over time, has an impact on the heart and circulatory system, Dover said.
Responding to fatal traffic incidents and other situations also impacts firefighters mentally, he said, and that can lead to mental health problems such as post traumatic stress.
In addition to the time and energy they’ve invested into being volunteer firefighters, Dover said firefighters also put their money into their service. Gas, insurance, car maintenance and other expenses come from the volunteers’ pockets.
Only around 1% of the population will ever need volunteer firefighters’ services, but everyone in the community benefits from their efforts. Fire departments’ capabilities play a large role in insurance costs for homeowners, Dover said. Insurance premiums in a Class 10 area, with limited fire protection, are roughly 41% more than in a Class 8 area, which includes a reliable volunteer department.
Each of Lauderdale County’s 17 stations is unique and has its own leadership structure. As fire coordinator, Dover said his job is to manage the big picture and let each fire chief run their department.
Currently, Dover is working with the Board of Supervisors on some insurance options that he says will benefit the county’s volunteer firefighters and provide them with more and better coverage than the current policy.
Lauderdale County firefighters are trained professional firefighters. While they may not get paid, they get their reward from the benefit they bring to the community.
Dover said he encourages residents to stop and thank their local firefighters for what they do, support their fire department’s fundraisers and, if passionate about public service, get involved.
