Volunteer firefighter and EMS opportunities in Lock Haven, PA

Lock Haven's fire protection runs on volunteers. The city's coverage comes from local fire companies, and the people who staff the trucks, run fundraisers, and keep the paperwork straight are almost all unpaid. If you have wanted to help but figured you needed experience or a lot of free time, here is what is actually involved, and who to call.

Who provides fire and EMS coverage in Lock Haven?

Lock Haven is covered by volunteer fire companies, including Citizens Hose Company No. 5 at 415 Bellefonte Avenue and Eastside Fire Rescue at 124 E. Church Street. Lock Haven EMS provides ambulance service, running both basic and advanced life support units in Clinton County. Every one of these groups depends on volunteers, both trained responders and support members, to keep running.

The city had three fire companies until January 2024, when Hope Hose Company and Hand-in-Hand Hose Company merged to form Eastside Fire Rescue after more than a year of talks. Members and equipment moved into the Church Street station, and Hand-in-Hand's old building on North Henderson Street went up for sale. Citizens Hose was not part of the merger and kept running on Bellefonte Avenue.

The department as a whole is a hybrid. The city employs nine fire staff members, three full time and six part time, who cover 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Volunteers make up 80 percent of the workforce and carry the overnight hours. Lock Haven has a Class 3 insurance rating, which roughly 3,000 of the country's 40,000 or so fire departments can claim.

The work is steady. Citizens Hose alone answered roughly 697 calls in 2024, about 1.5 a day. These are not big-budget operations. Much of the fundraising, planning, and day-to-day work falls on members who signed up because they wanted to help their neighbors, not because it was their job.

Do you need experience to volunteer?

No. You do not need any experience to start. The fire companies provide training for members who want to respond to calls, and support-member roles need no firefighting background at all. You can begin by helping with fundraising, paperwork, and logistics, then move toward trained response later if you decide you want to.

There are really two paths. A trained responder rides the trucks, works fire and rescue scenes, and completes the certifications the company requires. That path takes real time. Lock Haven's department logged more than 600 hours of training and education in a single year, and the company walks new members through the parts that apply to them. The other path is the support member, and it matters just as much. Support members run the chicken barbecues and other fundraisers, manage records, handle scheduling, keep the building and equipment side organized, and take care of the hundred small tasks that let responders focus on calls. If you can answer a phone, keep a spreadsheet, or flip burgers at a benefit, a company can use you.

Some work sits between the two paths: the department ran 34 public education and outreach programs in a recent year, school visits and safety demonstrations that need a friendly face more than turnout gear.

What do support members actually do in Lock Haven?

Support members handle fundraising, paperwork, and logistics so the responders can focus on emergencies. That includes running benefit events, tracking grants and donations, keeping membership and training records, and helping maintain equipment and the station. None of it requires you to enter a burning building, and all of it keeps a volunteer company alive.

Money is a constant concern for volunteer companies. When Citizens Hose Company No. 5 needed to replace a 33-year-old rescue boat that had started leaking, a $15,000 grant from the Clinton County Community Foundation covered most of the nearly $20,000 cost, and the new boat arrived just before Christmas 2024. Somebody had to apply for that grant, manage the money, and coordinate the purchase. That is the kind of work support members take on, well away from any fire scene. Citizens Hose also runs a dive team and a water rescue team that answer calls in Clinton and surrounding counties, and the company pays for both through grants, ice sales, mass mailings, and those chicken barbecues. Station upkeep counts too. In the year after the merger, Eastside members resealed the parking lot, repainted the exterior, and put in LED lighting and new heating and cooling units. In September 2024 the city signed the Church Street building over to the company, which was already handling all the maintenance.

Fundraising can also mean a day on the river. In August 2025, the fire department and a local business held the first Fire Float, sending residents down the Susquehanna on tubes and rafts from Peddie Park to Lock Haven City Beach while the Citizens Hose water rescue team patrolled alongside. It went well enough that a second float ran in June 2026, from Hanna Park this time, with proceeds again going to Citizens Hose and Eastside. An event like that needs planning, sign-in tables, vendors, and safety boat crews, and every one of those jobs is volunteer work. If you are better with words, numbers, or organizing people than with hoses and ladders, this is where you fit.

How do you get started?

Contact the company directly. Volunteer Clinton County is a free directory, so we point you to the organizations and let you reach out to them yourself. Stop by or call Citizens Hose Company No. 5 on Bellefonte Avenue or Eastside Fire Rescue on E. Church Street, ask about Lock Haven EMS for ambulance work, and say you want to help. Tell them whether you are interested in responding, supporting, or are not sure yet.

When you reach out, be honest about your time. A company would rather have a reliable support member for two hours a month than someone who overpromises and burns out. Ask what training they run, when the company meets, and what they most need help with right now. If firefighting is not the right fit after you talk it through, that is fine. There are other ways to serve, from helping stock the local food pantries to the wide range of volunteering across Clinton County. You can also see volunteer opportunities in Lock Haven in one place and read our full Lock Haven volunteering guide for a broader look at the town.

What if you live just outside the city?

If you live outside Lock Haven, your closest company may be in a neighboring community, and the same rules apply: they train you, and they need support members. Goodwill Hose Company Station 7 has covered Flemington since 1914, and its ambulance association, a separate organization since 1982, answers about 2,000 emergency calls a year across Flemington, Mill Hall, Loganton, and the surrounding townships with a mix of paid and volunteer EMTs and paramedics. Dunnstown, Castanea, and Mill Hall have volunteer companies of their own. Castanea Fire Company No. 1 has been at it since 1877. Reach out to the company that covers your address and ask how to join.

Coverage in and around Clinton County is a patchwork of volunteer companies, each protecting its own area and helping the others. If you are just over the line, look into the fire and ambulance service in nearby Flemington or see what is listed for Mill Hall and your own town. To see what is posted right now, browse current openings, or browse every Clinton County organization to find the group nearest you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I volunteer with a fire company if I have a full-time job?

Yes. Many volunteers work full-time and fit their fire company duties around their schedules. Support roles like fundraising, records, and event help are flexible and can often be done on evenings or weekends. If you want to train as a responder, talk to the company about the time the training takes and what shift coverage looks like before you commit.

Is there any cost to me to volunteer?

No. Joining a volunteer fire company or EMS group does not cost you money, and Volunteer Clinton County is free to use as well. Companies provide the training for members who want to respond, and they supply the gear. Ask each company directly about how they handle equipment and any certifications, since details vary from one company to the next.

Is the Lock Haven Fire Department all volunteer?

Mostly. Volunteers make up 80 percent of the department's workforce. The city also employs nine fire staff members, three full time and six part time, who provide coverage from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, with volunteers and on-call personnel handling the rest. The two fire companies themselves, Citizens Hose and Eastside Fire Rescue, are volunteer organizations.

How do I contact Citizens Hose or Eastside Fire Rescue?

Reach out to the companies directly. Citizens Hose Company No. 5 is at 415 Bellefonte Avenue and Eastside Fire Rescue is at 124 E. Church Street in Lock Haven. Stop in, call, or message them and say you want to volunteer. Volunteer Clinton County is a directory, so we connect you to the organization and let you make contact on your own terms.