Divided Yet United: Iowa’s Volunteer Firefighters Answer the Call Together

Just before 4:00 AM on July 28, firefighters were called to the Agri Star Meat & Poultry processing plant in Postville, Iowa.

They would need help. A lot of it.

A fire that began in a laundry room had spread throughout the facility. As the fire grew, departments from across northeast Iowa responded. Ultimately, 21 fire departments would join the fight, battling a massive fire that burned for days and required an estimated 3.5 million gallons of water.

For Mike Kime, first vice president of the Iowa Firefighters Association, the response offered a powerful reminder of something that people outside the fire service might not realize about his state.

“Volunteer is a huge, huge part in this great state of Iowa,” he said.

An understatement.

More than 90% of Iowa’s firefighters are volunteers. They leave their homes, their families and their regular jobs when the call comes. At Postville, Kime said many of those volunteers were on the scene from the early morning until late that night. Many were called back again the next day.

They came from different towns, different departments. In a state where the deepest divide among citizens comes down to which college football team they support, the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones faithful came together to fight that fire.

There was a job to do, and they were united until the last flame was extinguished and the last bit of smoke drifted off toward the horizon. 

That spirit is behind this September’s Fire Department Coffee Club and Fire Department Shirt Club collaboration with the Iowa Firefighter’s Association. And it’s in the message featured prominently on this month’s design.

Divided Yet United.

Throughout September, $2 from every Coffee Club subscription or purchase and $5 from every Shirt Club subscription or purchase will support the Iowa Firefighters Association (IFA) and its work on behalf of firefighters across the state.

The Challenges of a Volunteer Fire Service

The IFA has supported the state’s firefighters since 1879, advocating for its people while helping departments access training, education, equipment and other resources they need to serve their communities. 

In a state that relies so heavily on volunteers, that work takes on added importance.

Volunteer firefighters encounter the same dangerous fires, traumatic calls and occupational hazards as their career counterparts. Yet once the call ends, they often return immediately to an entirely different life.

That can have consequences.

Kime recently encountered a volunteer firefighter in southern Iowa who injured his knee and leg on a call. Workers' compensation provided some support while he recovered, but he was unable to work his regular job until he was medically cleared. Before that happened, Kime said, the firefighter learned that his employer no longer had a job for him.

“He lost his job because of the injury on a volunteer position,” Kime said. 

Chris Bylund, fifth vice president of the IFA, said three volunteers from his own department have battled throat or lung cancer, all believed to be connected to exposure from a furniture store fire two decades ago.

Firefighters today know much more about those risks. Departments have changed how they handle contaminated gear and take additional precautions to reduce exposures. But occupational cancer remains a serious concern, and it does not discriminate between career firefighters and volunteers.

Neither do service-related mental health challenges.

Lonnie Newhall, third vice president of the IFA, says the biggest difference often lies in what happens immediately after a traumatic call.

“The career guys, they get done with a bad call, they go back to the station, and they’re still together until the shift is over,” Newhall said. “For volunteers, as soon as that call is over, they go right back to their jobs or to their families. They separate, and they don’t really talk about it like they should.”

The IFA wants its members to know that resources are available — and it wants to make more of those resources available to every member.

One of the goals for the funds raised through the September collaboration is to help provide National Volunteer Fire Council Memberships for IFA members. At an annual cost of $24 per firefighter, those memberships can provide access to education and training, mental health, and cancer awareness resources. It also provides a $10,000 life insurance benefit.

Because the IFA represents about 15,000 firefighters, those costs add up quickly. That’s why your support in September can make a major difference for these volunteers.

A Rivalry United

Ask people in Iowa who they root for — the University of Iowa Hawkeyes or the Iowa State Cyclones — and you probably won’t have to wait long for an answer.

“You’re either a Hawkeye or a Cyclone fan,” Newhall said.

The rivalry runs deep enough that the annual Iowa-Iowa State football game can seemingly bring the entire state to a halt. This year, the event falls on the same weekend as the IFA’s annual convention, which is sure to add a little excitement to the event.

IFA and FDC naturally agreed that the friendly rivalry provided the perfect inspiration for September’s Fire Department Coffee Club and Fire Department Shirt Club design.

The artwork splits the state of Iowa between yellow and red, and it features two firefighter characters representing the rivalry, surrounded by another unmistakable Iowa staple: corn.

The words across the design? 

Divided Yet United.

“They will argue day and night on which team is better,” Newhall said, ‘But when it comes to a fire call, they’re side by side getting the work done.”

The design appears on the back of September’s tan Fire Department Shirt Club shirt, with the IFA logo on the front. The same artwork is featured on the month’s Fire Department Coffee Club bag, which is filled with a new specialty roast delivering notes of brown sugar and red apple.

The design is inspired by Iowa’s biggest rivalry, but we’re inspired by the spirit of service that brought them together in Postville and at calls throughout the state every day. 

We hope you’re inspired, too. We hope you’ll support these essential volunteers with your daily coffee throughout September and that you’ll wear the shirt with pride for months and years to come.

Divided sometimes.

United when it matters.