EMS and firefighting volunteering with the Goodwill Hose Company, Flemington

The Goodwill Hose Company in Flemington runs two kinds of emergency response, and both take volunteers. The fire side, Station 7 at 126 High Street, has answered calls since 1914. The EMS side, the Goodwill Hose Company Ambulance Association at 512 Canal Street, separated from the fire company in 1982 and now runs its own organization with its own funds. Together they cover a lot of ground, and neither one can do it without people signing up.

If you have thought about giving time to something that matters in Flemington, this is about as direct as it gets. You are not raising awareness. You are helping a neighbor on the worst day of their year.

What does the Goodwill Hose Company do?

The Goodwill Hose Company handles fire response out of Station 7 and, through its separate Ambulance Association, handles emergency medical calls for Flemington and the towns and townships around it. The ambulance side answers roughly two thousand calls a year, reaching people in Flemington, Mill Hall, Loganton, and the surrounding rural areas. It keeps a crew available around the clock, staffed by a mix of paid and volunteer EMTs and paramedics.

The fire side has a founding date you can picture. On April 24, 1914, a group of citizens met in the council chambers of the old grist mill office and organized a volunteer fire company, with Ray Cook as its first president. More than a century later, Station 7 is still staffed entirely by volunteers. It runs an engine, a rescue, a tanker, and a traffic unit, and the work does not stop at the borough line: the company turns out for mutual aid calls across Clinton, Centre, and Union counties.

The ambulance association split off in 1982 and now operates on its own budget from 512 Canal Street. That two thousand call figure is the part most people miss: a small borough ambulance service covering multiple communities means the crews are busy, and busy crews need backup.

What has the company been up to lately?

February 2026 was a good month at the station. The company unveiled its new Traffic 7, a 2006 Freightliner with a CAT engine that carries up to seven people and puts an electronic message board on the road to warn drivers around a scene. The unit handles road closures and traffic control and can knock down small fires. It was paid for with help from the Regatta Foundation, Flemington's Hi Neighbor Committee, and donations from around the borough, which tells you something about how this town treats its fire company. At the same gathering, Mayor Jo LaRocque swore in the company's officers: Dustin Houtz as fire chief, Tony Mahon as deputy chief, and Maureen Mahon as assistant chief.

Spring brought harder news. In May 2026, The Express reported the fire company was about $10,000 in debt, with late fees stacking up on unpaid bills. Borough council voted to help, directed the company toward an audit, and approved a borough-wide fundraising mailer. Members kept the fundraisers going in the meantime, a hot sausage sale, a spaghetti dinner benefit, a chicken barbecue, and the bingo nights that have been drawing thinner crowds. Stephanie Russell, who handles fundraising for the company, described members supplying the supplies for those events out of their own pockets because the department could not.

Put the two stories side by side and you get the honest picture of a small volunteer company in 2026. The equipment and the will are there. Money and hands are short. If you have wondered whether one new volunteer matters to an outfit like this, this is what mattering looks like: someone to work a barbecue line, keep the books straight, or eventually ride the truck.

Do I need training to volunteer?

For frontline fire or EMS work, yes, but you do not need any of it before you walk in the door. Both sides of the Goodwill Hose Company also need support members who never run a call. If you are willing to help with fundraising, paperwork, building upkeep, or driving, there is a spot for you without a single certification.

Firefighting and emergency medical response are trained roles, and the company works with new people to get them there. That is how nearly every volunteer department in the area brings members on. If the training path is not for you right now, the support side is genuinely important. Small companies run on the members who show up for the banquet setup, the grant paperwork, and the equipment washing as much as the ones who ride the truck. The honest way to find out which role fits is to contact the company and ask what they need this month.

How do I sign up with the Goodwill Hose Company?

Reach out to the Goodwill Hose Company directly. The fire company operates from Station 7 at 126 High Street. You can call the station at (570) 893-8001, or message the company's Facebook page to set up a time to meet a member and pick up an application. That is the whole process: talk to a member, fill out the form. The ambulance association is at 512 Canal Street, reachable at (570) 748-9022. Tell them whether you are interested in fire, EMS, or support, and they will walk you through their process. Volunteer Clinton County is a free directory, so we point you to the org and you take it from there.

We do not match you or place you. That is the company's call and yours. What we can do is keep the door easy to find. You can check our current openings to see what is posted at any given time, and you can browse every Clinton County organization if you want to compare a few before you commit. There is no fee for any of this, ever, for you or for the organizations listed.

Why does the ambulance side need people so badly?

Two thousand calls a year is a heavy load for a small EMS agency covering several communities. Every call needs a crew, and volunteers come from a pool of trained people who also have jobs, families, and their own lives. When the pool shrinks, the people left carry more, and burnout follows. New members ease that pressure directly.

Rural EMS across Pennsylvania has been squeezed for years, and Flemington is not exempt. The borough itself has about 1,300 residents, and the ambulance association covers Flemington plus Mill Hall, Loganton, and the townships in between, which is a wide area for one small service. That is exactly why support members matter too. Every hour a volunteer spends on billing, scheduling, or fundraising is an hour a trained responder does not have to spend off the road.

Where does this fit with other Flemington volunteering?

Emergency response is one lane. Flemington also has borough events, community groups, and everyday volunteer needs that do not involve a siren. If EMS or firefighting is not your thing, there is plenty else close to home.

For the wider picture, see our full Flemington volunteering guide, which pulls together the different ways to help around the borough. If you like organizing and being out in the crowd, look at community and borough events in Flemington. You can also see the broader volunteer opportunities in Flemington on the location page. Flemington sits right next to the county seat of Lock Haven, so it is easy to look at both. And if you want the countywide view, start with volunteering across Clinton County.

Frequently asked questions

Does it cost anything to volunteer with the Goodwill Hose Company?

No. Volunteering with the fire company or the ambulance association is unpaid service you give to the community, and there is no charge to join. Volunteer Clinton County is a free directory with no fees or premium tiers for residents or organizations. Contact the company directly at Station 7 on High Street or the ambulance association on Canal Street to get started.

Can I volunteer if I only have a few hours a month?

Yes. Support roles at the Goodwill Hose Company do not require running calls, so they fit around limited time. Help with fundraising, building maintenance, paperwork, or events matters as much as frontline response for a small company, and the 2026 fundraising push means extra hands are welcome right now. Tell them how much time you have when you reach out, and they will match a role to it rather than the other way around.

What is the difference between the fire company and the ambulance association?

They are two separate organizations that share a name and a town. The Goodwill Hose Company fire side runs from Station 7 at 126 High Street and has since 1914. The Ambulance Association at 512 Canal Street split off in 1982 and runs its own EMS operation and its own budget, answering about two thousand calls a year across the area.

How do I contact the Goodwill Hose Company?

Call Station 7 at (570) 893-8001 for the fire company, or message the Goodwill Hose Co. Sta. 7 Facebook page to arrange a time to meet a member about an application. The ambulance association at 512 Canal Street has its own line, (570) 748-9022. If you are not sure which side fits you, either one can point you the right way.