HISTORY:

OCTOBER 1980 - The Board of Trustees of the Dammeron Valley Landowners Association voted to set aside $5000 in savings toward the purchase of a used fire truck. It was felt that the valley should have its own fire protection rather than depending on the Veyo Volunteer Fire Department located 3 miles to the north. 

JANUARY, 1981 - A used tanker truck was obtained from the St. George Fire Department for the cost of $5000. This truck was converted to a pumper and the valley had the start of its own fire department. The truck was stored, maintained and manned by Max Talbot; who had done fire fighting while in the Navy. During the rest of 1981, the Dammeron Valley Landowners Association began searching out and purchasing used fire hose to equip the engine. 

SPRING 1982 - Max Talbot was officially appointed the valleys first Fire Chief. 

MARCH 1983 - Plans were drawn for the construction of a fire house, the building to be 24 feet by 30 feet with 10 foot doors for the engine bay. The building would also have a 10 foot room on the south side for meetings and a 10 foot porch on the north. Construction began in October and was finished in December. The final cost of the building was $24,000. The loan was paid off by a special yearly assessment to the landowners. 

MAY 1985 - An organizational meeting was held to officially form the Dammeron Valley Volunteer Fire Department; to establish responsibilities and a cadre of officers and fire-fighters. A Utah Fire Training officer was contacted to conduct a 30 hour course in basic firefighting for the chief and firefighters. With the establishment of an organized fire department, it was then possible to petition the State for matching funds to help obtain equipment. Prior to this time, all equipment was obtained either through private donations, landowner assessment or gifts from other fire departments. 

FALL 1987 - SPRING 1988 - A steeple was constructed atop the firehouse and a siren installed. 

MARCH 1988 - A military fire response pumper was donated to the fire department by a local landowner. Application was made to the Utah Department of Forestry for matching funds to equip this vehicle as a "wild" fire response vehicle. Hose bins were installed. 

JUNE 1989 - Porch on the north side of the firehouse was enclosed to make a bay for the brush truck. 

1991 - In the spring of 1991 the fire department was using hand-held radios which also contained pagers for contacting the firefighters for response. Prior to this time, the Fire Chief was contacted and then the firefighters were called by telephone or by hearing the fire siren. 

JULY 1991 - The original fire truck was replaced with a 1968 American LaFrance pumper, complete with all equipment. This truck was purchased from Davis County, Utah at a cost of $25,000. The old truck was sold for $5000, which was added to the $10,000 in the truck fund. A loan was obtained for the remainder of the cost. The loan was retired within 18 months by special assessments to the landowners. 

1992 - The 911 emergency system became available and the Dammeron Valley Fire Department went on the Countywide paging system. At that time 5 Motorola pagers were purchased. 

JULY 1994 - The old 4 x 4 brush truck was retired and replaced with a 1986 Chev. 4 x 4 crew cab truck. This pickup truck was totally refurbished and repainted to match the pumper and went on line as the "squad-brush" truck. Most of the work on the truck, other than major mechanical, was done by the firefighters themselves, including the painting. 

1995 to CURRENT - The current goal is to continue to upgrade safety equipment and acquire additional fire fighting appliances. 

CURRENT INFORMATION:

Cadre:	At the present time, the fire department consists of 13 firefighters; including a chief, assistant chief, 2 engineers and 9 firefighters. One firefighter is a certified FMT, all the volunteers are certified as basic firefighters, with 2 attaining Firefighter I certification with HAZMAT training. In addition the department has established a Firefighter Cadet program for young men and women 16 - 18 years of age. Currently the department has 2 cadets.
Funding:	The department is supported by the Landowners Association (currently 263 landowners) through their yearly dues. Seventy-five percent of the yearly dues go directly to the department for upkeep on the trucks, and for purchasing equipment such as new turnouts, SCBA units, ventilation fans etc. The landowners have always been generous with the funding for the DVVFD, for which the firefighters are extremely grateful.
Training:	The volunteers train twice monthly, the second Tuesday evening and the last Saturday morning. The evening training usually has classroom activities, including basic firefighting, medical and the care and use of the trucks and equipment. The Saturday training has simulated scenarios to enhance skills and give practical use for the class room training.
Response:	Dammeron Valley is a rural bedroom community; most of the firefighters are employed in St. George, 17 miles south. Even with this distance the response time for the department is excellent. The current average of fire fighter response is 65% per fire call. Since 1993, the fire department has responded to 4 structure fires, 20 brush fires, 1 electrical fire, 1 car fire, and one fuel spill. The average time, from initial page to the equipment leaving the station, is 6 minutes. The average time from incident page to arrival on scene is 11 minutes. Included in these response times are several calls that involved more than 10 miles of travel time.
Civic Involvement:	The DVVFD provides a fireworks display at the valleys annual 4th of July picnic. The fireworks are paid for out of the annual landowners association budget and the firefighters attend special classes to qualify to handle and set off the display.
	Each June, the firefighters and their wives gather for the annual steak-fry and potluck. At this e vent, the Firefighter of the Year award is presented to the firefighter; who in the opinion of his peers, has shown involvement "above and beyond."