Neighbors in Two Worlds with One Call to Serve: New Marion’s Volunteer Firefighters

Half of the New Marion FD crew is Amish.

New Marion firetruck with Amish logo. Photo by Cheryl Damon-Greiner.

On a quiet stretch of Michigan Road in Holton, at the New Marion Volunteer Fire Department, a call comes in from Ripley County 911. The scene that follows is something you don’t see everywhere. Amish firefighters and EMTs arrive from the surrounding countryside on tractors; fire trucks roll out with “English” drivers at the wheel, all of them ready to do the same job, shoulder to shoulder, for the same reason: because their neighbors need them.

That blend of different daily lives with a shared purpose is part of what makes New Marion unique. Many Amish communities limit personal car use, not because they reject service, but because they try to keep life rooted close to home and centered on family, faith, and community. New Marion’s volunteers have found a practical way to honor those standards while still responding fast: non-Amish members drive the apparatus, and Amish members arrive by the transportation their community accepts for local work—then everyone trains, works, and serves as one crew.

Behind the scenes, the commitment is bigger than most people realize. Volunteers log hundreds of hours to master advanced first aid and CPR and to learn specialized skills like vehicle extrication and hazardous materials response. Many earn EMT certifications. They drill regularly, keep up with changing standards, and meet strict requirements all while holding full-time jobs and caring for families. The goal is simple: when a neighbor calls for help at 2 a.m., the response should be as ready and professional as any paid department.

Locally, that training culture is fortified by a volunteer fire academy led by Chief Ben Sieverding of Versailles Fire Rescue, who has emphasized that volunteers deserve the same caliber of instruction expected of career firefighters. For New Marion’s members, Amish and English alike, training is where differences fade. Everyone learns the same skills, wears the same protective gear, and follows the same safety rules, because fire and medical emergencies don’t care where you come from. These volunteers recently used their training to save the life of a fellow member of their team when he suffered a massive heart attack at home. Emergency room personnel said that the level of response in such a rural area was “miraculous”.

What does make a difference, every single day, is money. Like other county volunteer departments, New Marion operates on a tight budget while trying to maintain equipment that has to work every time. Fire trucks, medical supplies, insurance, training courses, and fuel all cost more each year, and many grants or local funds cover only the basics. The less-visible necessities add up too: cleaning supplies, office materials, and the bottled water and snacks that keep crews going during long calls and long nights.

Turnout gear. 

Just outfitting one firefighter is expensive. A set of turnout gear, the protective coat, pants, boots, helmet, and gloves required to safely go interior, runs about $4,000. Some volunteer departments don’t have enough gear for every trained member, which means a willing firefighter is limited in what they can do. It’s a hard reality: the desire to serve is there, but the tools to do the job safely have to be paid for.

That’s why fundraising isn’t a side project - it’s part of the job description. Across the county, volunteer firefighters and EMTs become cooks and fundraisers, after they’ve already put in a full workday on their day jobs. Pancake breakfasts, chicken dinners, mock turtle soup and fish fries aren’t just comfort food; they’re how hoses get replaced and AED batteries stay current. So are the familiar scenes at busy intersections, where volunteer firefighters hold out rubber boots for passing drivers, collecting whatever the community can spare. Even renting station meeting rooms for private parties helps keep the lights on and the trucks ready.

Chief Ben Hooker.

New Marion’s roster is half Amish, with non-Amish firefighters who can drive the trucks. This arrangement is both practical and advantageous. Most of the Amish volunteers are skilled builders by trade, and that craftsmanship has shaped the department in a way few communities can match. When it became clear the old building couldn’t fit newer apparatus, the department didn’t wait for a miracle grant. They reached for hammers.

Several years ago, Amish firefighters approached then-Chief Charlie Meisberger with an offer that still feels almost unbelievable: they would provide the labor to build an updated firehouse. The old station was so tight that the department had to move trucks out just so members could gather inside for meetings. After the offer was accepted, the project moved quickly. Walls, trusses, roof, and concrete floor were worked on together, until a new building stood, large enough to accommodate the department. The price tag for a project like that had been estimated at more than $800,000, well out of reach for a small volunteer department. With free labor, the cost dropped to about a quarter of that.

Recently built New Marion Fire Department. 

That same “do what we can with what we have” mindset still guides the department. Fire Chief Ben Smoker and Assistant Chief Levi Beiler, Jr. helped turn the crew’s skills into another way to support the mission: taking on short construction projects for homeowners or businesses in exchange for donations. It’s a straightforward trade of honest labor for essential equipment.

In the end, what you notice most about New Marion isn’t the difference between tractors and trucks. The bay doors open with a unified purpose. The volunteers show up for wrecks, medical calls, and fires because the people on the other end of the radio are family, friends, and neighbors in need. The next time you pass the New Marion station, remember that it was built, and is sustained, by people living in two worlds who share one promise: when the call rings, they will come.