Auxiliaries Thank You!

We at Red Lights For Firefighters would like to take this time to acknowledge a few of related professions, Fire Police, Auxiliaries, and dispatchers. These are vital and essential services provided that are rarely mentioned or recognized, and one that we here at Red Lights For Firefighters have not discussed, so today we will.

This will be a three-part appreciation segment, as each of these essential services deserves full recognition.

During this segment, we will take the opportunity to recognize auxiliaries. Those agencies with auxiliaries provide a valuable support for many fire departments in several aspects. The service each auxiliary provides varies from department to department and depends upon the areas in which they are active.

Whether the support is given for those social or fundraising events, (Bingo, BBQ’s, Special Breakfasts, and Hall Rentals) or at the emergency scene by providing beverages or food, this group provides a valuable service.

Many auxiliaries have different policies / procedures on how they operate and respond to the incident or scene.

As a result of firefighter safety and the rehab process playing a vital role in today’s operations, it’s often difficult to provide such an important service that this group can assist with. Some of the auxiliaries also provide food for the firefighters upon their return from serious incidents, help keep the firehouse open, and supply hospitality, food, and shelter for the communities during natural disasters.

Auxiliary members make themselves available to be notified at a moment’s notice to assist their brother and sister firefighters. The services that they provide not only help assure those emergency responders operating on-scene that they will be taken care of, it also helps keep up the working relationship between auxiliaries and firefighters. Auxiliaries assist in boosting the morale of the firefighters, helping to create a strong and unified community with the first responders.

Fire department auxiliaries are there to provide a network of support for the fire department members and the community. Many auxiliaries assist in planning and executing several different activities, some of which are listed below.

• On-scene Refreshment (Beverages / Food)
• Community Events (BBQ’s, Dinners, Fundraisers)
• Department Social Events (Installation Dinner, Gatherings)
• CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management)
• Fire Prevention / Education

Fire department auxiliaries are comprised of groups of dedicated men and women who provide valuable support to their departments in making sure their department excels.

Many fire department auxiliaries have changed their rules and regulations to now include men to join the ranks, along with significant others.

As we have outlined, this is a small description of what auxiliaries do for our firefighters and first responders. As you can see, auxiliaries play a vital role in the balance, well-being, and morale of our first responders.

It is far too often that many times, the contribution of auxiliaries is forgotten, and today, we bring the auxiliaries to the forefront of the spotlight and recognize how very important they are to our first responder community. To our auxiliaries, thank you for helping our first responders and being such a huge support for them. Your services are greatly appreciated.