Fire Corps is an American volunteer program which is designed to connect community members with their local fire/EMS departments to help with non-emergency tasks. On a national level, Fire Corps is managed by the National Volunteer Fire Council and supported by the Department of Homeland Security, Citizen Corps, and the United States Fire Administration. Launched in 2004, Fire Corps is one of five partner programs under Citizen Corps, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grassroots strategy to bring together government and community leaders to involve citizens in all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience. The Fire Corps web site located at serves as a gateway to information, resources, training, and networking opportunities for fire/EMS departments as well as community members interested in non-operational volunteer opportunities with their department. Departments can use this site to register their citizen volunteer program and community members can use the site to find a local Fire Corps program.
Mission
The mission of Fire Corps is to increase the capacity of volunteer, career, and combination fire and EMS departments through the use of citizen advocates. Fire Corps provides resources for departments to utilize citizen advocates in non-operational roles so they can develop, implement, and sustain programs and services that will help their department meet the needs of their community. The Fire Corps national office seeks to:
Learn about promising practices being used in existing non-operational volunteer programs
Share this information with departments that want to expand or improve their programs
Increase the use of non-emergency volunteers in existing programs
Help citizens learn about and get involved in Fire Corps programs in their communities
Help agencies without a program to get one started
How Fire Corps Helps Fire and EMS Departments
Nationwide, there are 30,165 fire departments in the United States. Fire Corps provides a way for community members who don’t want to serve as first responders to still help their local fire/EMS department. These community volunteers perform a variety of non-operational tasks, allowing the department’s first responders to focus on training and response activities while increasing the capacity and services a fire department can offer. Fire Corps members also act as advocates for the fire and emergency services in the community. In return, Fire Corps volunteers gain a better understanding of the emergency services and become better prepared to handle their own emergencies and those of their neighbors. Fire Corps members use their individual talents and skills to assist with various non-emergency tasks. The types of activities a Fire Corps team can provide are limited only by the needs of the department. Examples of Fire Corps activities include: conducting fire prevention and life safety education in the community; providing canteen services to first responders during long incidents; fundraising; helping at special events; providing administrative support; developing and maintaining web sites; conducting public relations; assisting with preplanning and community preparedness efforts; providing bilingual assistance; and much more.
Partner Programs
Fire Corps is one of five partner programs under Citizen Corps. The mission of Citizen Corps is to harness the power of every individual through education, training, and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds. Citizen Corps partner programs share the common goal of helping communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. These partner programs help build capacity for first responders through the use of volunteers. The five partner programs under Citizen Corps are: Community Emergency Response Team; Fire Corps; USAonWatch-Neighborhood Watch; Medical Reserve Corps; and Volunteers in Police Service.
National Advisory Committee
Fire Corps is funded through the Department of Homeland Security and Citizen Corps and supported by the United States Fire Administration. Fire Corps is managed on a national level by the National Volunteer Fire Council in partnership with an advisory committee made up of national fire service organizations. This National Advisory Committee provides valuable input, critical feedback, and supplementary ideas as to the direction of the program. The National Advisory Committee is made up of the following organizations:
