Suppression Firefighters

Suppression firefighters are trained to respond to emergency incidents and perform critical firefighting and medical response duties, such as fire suppression, prevention activities, and providing emergency medical care. Volunteers live both in and out of district and respond from Dover Community Station 74.

As a volunteer firefighter, you will be trained to the level of Firefighter I and EMT and have access to other training opportunities, such as NFPA certifications and emergency medical continuing education. You must meet the same NFPA firefighter physical and medical requirements as career firefighters and will be required to attend weekly drills, duty shifts, and community events throughout the year. This hands-on experience is ideal for those either exploring a career in fire service or looking to serve their community.

Support Members 

Support volunteers provide essential services that help our district operate efficiently. These roles include rehabilitation and logistical support, water tender operations, command bus response, and Chaplain services.

• Rehab volunteers perform support operations for emergency scenes by providing incident rehabilitation services and respond via Mobile Command Bus, which is dispatched on every second alarm or greater incident. Our rehab apparatus is called to respond on all working fires and special call incidents. Additionally, support volunteers can provide first aid, assist in fire prevention duties, and other specialized emergency scene support functions. 
• Volunteer water tender operators provide a specialized service of responding and operating our water tender apparatus. These volunteers respond to all fires and incidents within and outside of the fire district when fire hydrants are not available.
• District chaplains offer a “ministry of presence” as they assist families, patients and victims in their time of need. In addition to fulfilling their duties to their congregation’s members, chaplains are on call to provide comfort, support and guidance to those who have experienced harm or loss due to a fire, catastrophic occurrence, or medical emergency. Clackamas Fire has a dedicated contingent of non-denominational chaplains available for response to critical events.  Chaplains are available 24/7 to respond to critical incident stress situations for our community and our firefighters.

Explorer Program 

Clackamas Fire’s Explorer Program offers high school students a hands-on opportunity to explore careers in emergency services 

Our program is designed to build confidence, skills, and offer a deeper understanding of what it means to serve your community. It mirrors the structure of a fire science curriculum or fire academy and is meant to provide a realistic, immersive experience. We encourage students who are curious about or considering a future in firefighting or public safety to apply!

Explorers are trained on a variety of subject, including:

• Basic firefighting skills 
• Academic expectations
• Advancement opportunities
• Resume building and understanding the application and interview process 
• Community engagement
• Emergency response scenarios
• Crew dynamics and team interaction

Explorers are also required to participate in a variety of off-site and community activities, such as the Annual Safety Fair and other public education events, camping and hiking trips, a COPE Course (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience), Operation Santa Claus, Oregon City Clean-Up, Pioneer Family Festival, and more. 

By the end of the program, our Explorers are equipped with the knowledge and experience necessary to pursue career or volunteer firefighter roles, college-level fire science programs, and/or an EMT or Paramedic certification.

Clackamas Fire District recruits new explorers every April.

For more information about our Volunteer Program, please contact:

recruitment.inbox@clackamasfire.com