Nathan Bowers along with his wife Teresa moved to the Robie Creek area from SE Boise in 2006. Tired of our grass not being 'green enough' we sought something a little closer to what I grew up with.

I grew up in Ontario Oregon doing just about everything a person can imagine. My parents owned a car wash, a small cattle farm, some alfalfa, and rental houses thrown in for good measure. Family has always been a big part of my life and if I am not here, I am probably back in Ontario with my family.

Growing up we didn't really have neighbors and were so busy doing our own thing that I never really knew what it was like to have neighbors that you would become friends with, help thru struggles, and spend time together just enjoying their company. It wasn't until moving up here that I really learned the value of neighbors and how important they are in our lives.

After watching some of my neighbors age, I soon realized that life is short. Even though I am a determined, self-reliant, and possibly a little stubborn (my wife's words not mine), I realized that in time I won't be able to do the things I do now, and I made the decision to make myself available to my neighbors to help them when I can and help build the type of community where we all can grow old in and keep on living the dreams we have built for ourselves.

Being a volunteer firefighter is so much more than fighting fires. In fact, fighting fires is only about 25% of the calls we go on. We assist with medical calls, helicopter landing zones, traffic accidents, and assisting other fire departments when they are in need. It is hard work and involves a fair amount of personal sacrifice from the firefighters AND their families, but it is very rewarding at the end of a call when we can sit down as a group and look back on how well we did and looking forward to how we can be better for the next call. I will never regret the decision I made to join the fire department and will remain on a fire department, regardless of where I live, until I cannot.

Cole Reeder is President of the RCVFD Board.

Cole and Chelsey, married for 7 years, have two young sons. Carter is 2, and Chance is just 3 months old. Cole and Chelsey grew up in the Twin Falls area and moved to Robie Creek in 2017. Cole joined RCVFD in July 2018, after two fire incidents in the area. An amateur radio operator, Cole listened to the incident unfold. “I was monitoring on the radio for both incidents, and felt that I should be there helping them,” explains Cole. “I knew I could contribute to our community in this way. That's what makes the Robie Creek community the best, neighbors helping neighbors.”

Cole was motivated to run for President of the Board after joining the department and hearing feedback from the community. “Transparency and community involvement go hand in hand. My goal is to make board minutes available for our members to view, create a communication platform, and help get the community involved in different activities that bring us together,” says Cole. The Department and Board have been looking at options to build another station up Rocky Canyon Road or Robie Creek Road. “I also wanted to make this facility something that the entire community could use.”

According to Cole, the most important thing the Board can do in the next couple of years is to properly equip our firefighters. “We as a Board need to make sure that firefighters have the tools, equipment and protective gear that are needed to be able to respond to incidents in the community. Without these things, our response time to safely resolve the incident is increased. Timing is everything,” emphasizes Cole. “A small fire is easier to put out. A patient with a medical emergency may only have a narrow window for assistance.”

What can all of us do to contribute and support RCVFD? “Most critical – pay your annual subscription and encourage your neighbors to do the same. We rely on subscription dues for every expense. RCVFD receives no tax monies to support operations,” Cole emphasizes, “so member dues are critical to our operating budget. Unfortunately, less than 60% of our members pay their dues and that impacts our budget and our effectiveness directly.”

In addition – anyone can volunteer to help RCVFD. “We always need help with a variety of things, and your skills may fill that need.”