Keeping Volunteer Firefighters Coordinated at Maple Grove Fire Department

Volunteer fire departments rely on flexibility, but coordinating coverage can be difficult when most firefighters are balancing on-call shifts with full-time jobs.

For the Maple Grove Fire Department, that challenge was especially visible during Maple Grove Days, a five-day community event requiring volunteers for parades, first aid support, fireworks standby, and emergency operations coverage.

Taming Calendar Chaos

Before using SignUpGenius, volunteer coordination depended on paper sign-up sheets and documents stored on the city network. Firefighters often had to make special trips to the station or rely on phone calls just to see available opportunities, which made it harder to avoid duplicate coverage and ensure all shifts were filled.

By switching to online sign ups, administrators could share one centralized schedule where firefighters could view open shifts, see who had already signed up, and claim roles from any internet-connected device. Everyone received the same information at the same time, reducing confusion and eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth.

Putting Out Scheduling Fires Before They Start

Dealing with an inferno of paperwork behind the the scenes made it harder for the department to run to the best of its ability. Now, Maple Grove's firefighters run on a system that’s calm, consistent, and reliable. Without the constant back and forth, the fire rescue team can focus on responding to real emergencies, and not the scheduling kind.

• Automatic reminders help firefighters stay on top of upcoming shifts, reducing last-minute scrambles and surprise gaps in coverage
• Archived sign ups make annual events like Maple Grove Days easier to plan, with familiar staffing needs ready to go year after year
• Reusable schedules let administrators update dates, relaunch sign ups quickly, and keep planning moving without rebuilding everything from scratch
• Clear visibility for everyone means fewer check-ins, fewer missed shifts, and more confidence that every role is covered

One Tool, Consistent Coverage

What started as a solution for a single community event expanded across the department. SignUpGenius is now used to coordinate training sessions, live burn and ice rescue training, National Night Out coverage, annual fire hose testing, and standby support for neighboring departments.

Sign ups also proved flexible enough to be introduced to a nearby department in Eagan, MN, where it’s used to schedule weekday crew coverage and coordinate annual SCBA mask fit testing. By moving volunteer scheduling online, it was easy to replace manual coordination with a system that simply works. Fewer follow ups, clearer coverage, and reusable schedules have made it easier to plan year after year - without adding more work for the people already giving so much of their time.

Ready to make volunteer coordination easy for your group?