The Long Beach Fire Department is very proud of the fact that we are an all volunteer department and that we have been in existence for 75 years. Included in the original 1932 organization was a "Firemen's Social Club" dedicated to the "advancement of ping pong strokes"  and for "catching up on postponed chess games". Since that time, we have developed into one of the highest rated all-volunteer fire departments in the state of Indiana. We still have fun, but we take our role as firefighters very seriously.

Volunteer Firefighters make up the majority of Firefighters in the United States; approximately 70-80%. The term "professional firefighter" has fallen out of common use to describe a paid firefighter; they are now generally referred to as "career firefighters". Professionalism describes the quality of the service provided, not the amount a person is paid.

The first volunteer fire company in the United States was founded by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia in 1736. It was called the Union Fire Brigade and had 30 members.

In addition to Benjamin Franklin, many famous early Americans have been volunteer firefighters, including: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.

Before 1850, no city in America had full time paid firefighters.

Long Beach Fire Department is proud to be part of this American Volunteer tradition that has spanned over 270 years.