Community safety depends on neighbors willing to serve and communities that stand with them

In communities across Iowa, like Waucoma and Protivin, public safety begins with people who choose to step forward.

“It’s that sense of wanting to give back to the community, recognizing the importance of having a fire department and that someone needs to do it, and having that inner fortitude to be willing to answer that call,” said Martin Ahrndt with the Protivin Fire District.

“When you commit to being a firefighter, it becomes part of who you are,” Martin said.

Nearly all of this work is done by volunteers protecting neighbors across miles of rural roads, farms,
and small towns.

“I would say 90 percent of the time, it’s somebody you know. It isn’t someone just passing through. It’s someone in your community,” said Jim Franzen, assistant fire chief with the Waucoma Fire Department.

That connection shapes everything. It’s why they leave in the middle of the night, train for hours, and keep showing up, even when the job is hard.

“These are fellow citizens giving up time with family to help someone else,” Martin said.

And they don’t do it alone.

“It’s a brotherhood and sisterhood. If something happens, we’re there,” said Mike Klimesh with the Waucoma Fire Department. “It’s a family.”

Through mutual aid, neighboring departments respond side by side, sharing people and equipment. In rural northeast Iowa, community safety depends on that network.

But sustaining it takes more than commitment.

Volunteer numbers are declining, training demands are growing, and the equipment needed to do the job safely is increasingly expensive. Small city budgets cannot cover it all.

That’s where community support becomes essential.

CFNEIA's local affiliate community foundations are investing in fire departments across the region. The Waucoma and Protivin departments have received support from multiple county foundations, including Fayette, Chickasaw, Howard, and Winneshiek. This support reflects the partnerships that often cross county lines and helps provide the equipment and training needed to keep firefighters and residents safe.

“These grants are a godsend. It shows the community is behind us,” Jim said.

In rural communities, safety is not automatic. It is built by brave people committed to service and communities that stand with them.