It was a busy year for the Riverside Volunteer Fire Department. The department responded to 311 calls for incidents in 2025, up from 265 in 2024. Of those calls, 114 required fire personnel and 197 required EMS.

Riverside Fire Chief Chad Smothers says more calls put more strain on the system, and it is a challenge to find enough people to handle the hours and the calls that the department requires. An increased call volume requires more time from the various volunteers who donate their time to the department. He says volunteers often respond directly from their jobs or homes, “Everyone is responding from work or from home, or wherever they’re at in the community or surrounding area to respond to these calls, and taking time out of their day, whether its their work day, or home day or off day or whatever, to provide services for the community.”

The Riverside Fire Department currently has 30 firefighters and First Responders on its roster, according to the city of Riverside.

The department often responds to motor vehicle accidents, fire alarms, gas leaks, or anything that could potentially require a rescue response. The department also has mutual aid agreements with all of the other fire departments in Washington County and Johnson County. They also provide auto aid for building fires in Kalona, Ainsworth, and Hills.