The Good Life – March-April 2018

LOCAL HERO // HARWOOD FIRE AND RESCUE
sure we’re okay. We have people help
with traffic control and members
who are more like moms to us who
help out with dinners and make
sure we have water on the scene.
All of those roles are important. We
just need people.”
Goals Materializing
Few realize the impact a volunteer
fire and rescue can have on a
community. On average, the
department takes 120 calls a year,
ranging from reported fires to
medical emergencies.
“Before I started I didn’t know
what this department did,” Giere
said. “I didn’t even know we had a
department until I got into it and
saw what kind of impact we make in
our community.”
The department, founded in
1983, covers 23 miles of I-29 and
even extends into 42 sq. miles
of Minnesota, requiring them to
meet standards and be certified in
both North Dakota and Minnesota.
These expectations of the fire hall
and its membership come at a cost.
As a fire and rescue department,
funding is received from the City of
Harwood, township contracts, and
money from the county for emergency
medical service (EMS), but that does
not cover the daily expenses required
to meet regulations.
“We roughly triple those dollars every
year based on donations, grants that
we write and gaming,” Svaleson said.
“People often assume that funding
is taken care of, but if we relied on
the money we’re given every year, we
would never survive.”
32 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com