Montgomery County Fire Service

Montgomery County Fire Service operates as a public/private partnership: the county government supplies apparatus, equipment, utilities, and insurance, while an all-volunteer force staffs the stations and covers much of the operational funding themselves through fundraisers, donations, and personal contributions. The department is organized into five districts, each anchored by a main station, supplemented by four sub-stations and a separate Rescue Squad, giving the county broad geographic coverage outside the Clarksville city limits.

Day-to-day leadership runs through a small administrative staff under Fire Chief Michael Rios, with a Fire Coordinator and captains assigned to logistics, fire prevention/investigation, fleet and facilities, and training. Individual stations - including Palmyra, Cunningham, St. Bethlehem, East Montgomery, and Woodlawn - are positioned to maximize volunteer participation and keep response times low across the county's rural and suburban districts.

Because the force is entirely volunteer-based, joining the department is less a hiring process than a membership process: prospective members submit a written application, consent to a background check, and commit to serving a minimum shift each month at their assigned district station.

Montgomery County Fire Service recruits unpaid volunteer firefighters directly into its district stations. Prospective members complete a Volunteer Firefighter Application, undergo a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and local background check, and are reviewed by a Membership Committee before being assigned a call sign, shift, and station.