Fire and Rescue 

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Deeply rooted in the history of the fire service are the bread and butter in which it was founded upon. That being the courage of brave men and women who would risk their lives to advance into a burning building while others are running out. Not only would they risk their lives to preserve property, they would risk even more to rescue those who are trapped or unconscious. While "Fire Department" is how most of the world identifies our brothers and sisters, the scope of our duties has expanded much further than fires themselves. Many departments, including ours, have increased their training to include a variety of other "Rescue" techniques to the citizens they serve. These rescues can come in many ways, some of them are vehicle extrication, using a system of ropes to help rescue person(s) trapped at levels of higher or lower elevation, and victims trapped or stranded in bodies of water (both frozen and unfrozen). 

The good news is that fortunately in the modernized world today we are not called upon to perform these duties as frequently as we once were; this is due to a number of factors such as advancements in safety awareness and enhanced safety features, building specifications and codes, and smoke alarm/alert systems. Despite the less frequent occurrences the men and women of the Riverside Fire Department remain vigilant. Throughout the year all members, both full and part time, strive to achieve a minimum goal of 3,000 hours combined hours of continued training in fire, rescue, and EMS competencies. This involves a variety of learning environments which can range from physical hands-on training, the classroom/virtual setting, or at a more informal shift level organized training from the on-duty officer.  Knowledge is the ultimate power, and one simply cannot learn if they have not been taught. The department prides itself in the ability to send our members to nearly any certification training provided. Some, but by far not all, of the state certification courses we've sent our members include the following: Driver/Aerial Operator, Instructor I and II, Officer I and II, swift water and ice rescue technician, as well as high/low angle rope rescue.