Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services Appreciation

Brock Hansen was always told by his father, a past school board member, to find a way to give back to his community. The longtime Baxter resident took that advice to heart and has volunteered for the local fire department for more than 20 years, the past five of which he has served as fire chief.

“One of my close friends that was a former chief of the department, him and his dad approached me about joining the department,” Hansen said, noting he did not have interest in joining school board. “So I joined that to see where it went. We were the young pups on the crew at that time, and now we’re the old guys.”

Baxter Rural Fire Department has 22 members on staff, and every single person has their own role and duties to perform during emergencies. There are times Hansen is the driver while his wife, who is also on the volunteer squad, rides shotgun until she’s on scene to provide medical treatment.

Entirely consisting of volunteers, the Baxter Rural Fire Department has been providing selfless service to their community for about 100 years. Many members are like Hansen and have deep roots in Baxter. But Hansen said the department is really no different from any other volunteer department within the county.

Whether the department is located in Baxter, Kellogg, Lynnville or any other real town in the county, the sense of camaraderie between team members is strong. There is a strong level of trust they place in each other, and they all have the same passion of wanting to help and be there for their community.

“You got your wide variety of guys who specialize or work better at certain jobs or tasks, and that’s what they do and handle,” Hansen said. “Each crew member has their niche at what they’re good at. There are lots of times where we do things we don’t like to do but we have to do them.”

Whether it is responding to a fire or a medical emergency, the volunteers are more than willing to help their fellow community members. Even if there wasn’t a fire department established in Baxter, Hansen is convinced someone or a group of people would still step up to assist their neighbors in times of need.

Hansen said there is a lot more to the job than just showing up on calls. These days the department is focusing on its EMS services. The State of Iowa passed some essential services funds that Baxter is trying to apply for. To keep the department afloat, volunteers have to hold fundraisers.

“We have one major fundraiser we do a year. It used to be called the Fireman’s Ball, and I think we still call it the Fireman’s Ball. We’re about 28 years in with that,” Hansen said. “We just celebrated 100 years of the Baxter fire department this past June, and that was a big to-do for us.”

During the Fireman’s Ball, the crew organizes a hog roast and accepts free-will donations. The community often shows up for to-go meals and a donation. The department also hosts small fundraisers like a pancake feed every year and Halloween candy handouts.

With as many years the fire department has been in place, it is clear the Baxter community supports its first responders. Hansen said he and his crews are there to help. Many of the people Baxter Rural Fire Department are responding to are close friends or family members or a neighbor.

It’s a small town and when the people they care about are in need, Baxter volunteers will always try to be there as quick as they can.

“Some of the calls are difficult if you know the person. If you can’t make the call and you know the person it’s almost just as difficult,” Hansen said, adding some folks may be out in the middle of a field in a tractor and have no way to respond. “That’s why you have several different members of the department.”

Hansen reminds himself he is doing what his father preached to him: giving back.

“That’s what it’s really all about,” he said.