You'd be hard-pressed to tell a Southern Platte volunteer firefighter from a career firefighter.

That's because all Southern Platte firefighters -- no matter their status -- are professionals who train together and work together. The only difference is they do if for the challenge and experience, not the pay.

Volunteers serve both duty time at a station and on-call time at their homes and businesses.

When they're on duty, they'll respond to emergencies on the pumper with the career crew -- or crew their own unit.

When they're on call, they'll respond to their station when an emergency is paged. If it's a house fire, they'll be the second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-in apparatus, ready to perform an interior attack or ventilation. If it's an emergency that doesn't require as much manpower, they'll crew back-up units in case of additional emergencies.

And in the event of a medical call, our volunteer emergency medical technicians may actually arrive in their personal vehicles before the pumper, providing even faster medical care in times of need.

For the taxpayer, that means better fire protection for fewer dollars. And it means we're deeply connected to our community -- you're our family, friends, and neighbors.