Williston Professional Firefighters Local 3743

10/09/2026

Hey Williston did you know?

🚨 PSA: MOVE TO THE RIGHT FOR SIRENS AND LIGHTS 🚨

When you see flashing lights and hear sirens, every second matters.

Fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles are responding to emergencies where someone may be fighting for their life. That someone could be your family member, your friend, your neighbor—or even you.

When you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching:

* Stay calm.
* Move to the right when it is safe to do so.
* Stop and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.
* Never slam on your brakes, block an intersection, or follow closely behind an emergency vehicle.
* Never stop where you block the path of responding emergency vehicles.

Remember, emergency vehicles need room to move, and emergency responders need to get there safely.

The few seconds it takes you to move over could make the difference between life and death.

DON’T BLOCK THE RESPONSE. BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

🚒 SEE THE LIGHTS? HEAR THE SIRENS? MOVE TO THE RIGHT!

Williston Fire Department — Serving Our Community, Protecting Lives.

09/10/2026

I realize this is a day early, but felt that this in itself was worth more than one day of remembrance!!

We Remember. We Honor. We Never Forget. 🇺🇸

Twenty-five years later, the images of September 11, 2001 still live in our hearts.

That morning, 343 firefighters made the ultimate sacrifice. They ran toward the danger while others were running away. They climbed stairs knowing they might never come back down. They answered the call—not because they knew the outcome, but because someone needed help.

They were fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends, and members of the fire service family. They were more than numbers. They were people who mattered.

We also remember the thousands of civilians who lost their lives, the law enforcement officers who gave everything, and the countless first responders and families whose lives were forever changed.

For those of us who wear the badge today, September 11th is more than a date on the calendar. It is a reminder of the responsibility we carry every time we put on our uniform.

We remember the courage.
We honor the sacrifice.
We carry their names forward.
And we will never forget.

From one fire family to another, we stand together in remembrance of the 2,977 souls who never made it home.

May we always have the courage to answer the call.
May we always have the strength to protect one another.
And may we never forget those who gave everything.

🇺🇸 September 11, 2001 — Never Forget.
343 Forever.

09/03/2026

Late last night Local 3743 and other WFD Personnel responded to a call for a structure fire at an apartment complex. The ladder truck that arrived was met with crowded street conditions and two trees blocking portions of the structure. To set up the Ariel ladder for successful operation the truck engineer was able to "thread the needle" between the trees to obtain ladder access to the roof. Successfully spotting an aerial apparatus on a crowded street with overhead obstacles like mature trees requires immense precision, as misjudging placement by even a single foot can ruin the operational game plan. Aerial trucks require a wide stabilizer stance, often needing 14 to 18 feet of spread, making parked cars and narrow roadways major challenges for safe outrigger deployment. Additionally, trees and overhead obstructions restrict the ladder's operational positioning, which drastically limits the "scrub area," or the amount of the building's face the aerial device can physically reach. Overcoming these geographical bottlenecks is exceptionally difficult with limited staffing, as smaller crews must rapidly establish these strategic positions without the luxury of extra personnel to assist with spotting and setup. Pulling off a flawless setup under these constraints on a first alarm highlights serious operator skill and crew capability.

08/31/2026

Hey there Williston this is your friendly firemen and women. Did you you know?

🚨 WILLISTON FIRE DEPARTMENT — THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY 🚨

Every time the tones drop, the men and women of the Williston Fire Department answer the call.

In just the first six months of 2024, WFD responded to 2,929 calls for service — an average of nearly 16 calls every single day. That was 209 more calls than the same period in 2023, an increase of 7.68%. (City of Williston⁠)

And those aren’t simply “fire calls.”

🔥 Structure and vehicle fires
🚑 Medical emergencies
🚗 Motor vehicle crashes
🧯 Fire alarms
☣️ Hazardous materials
🌾 Wildland fires
🛠️ Technical rescues
✈️ Medical transports
🌪️ All-hazard emergencies
❤️ And countless calls where someone simply needed help

Williston Fire Department serves a 1,100-square-mile area and provides both fire protection and advanced life support EMS. (City of Williston⁠)

Behind every number is a person.

A family waiting for someone to come home.
A patient fighting for their life.
A driver trapped in a wreck.
A business owner watching their livelihood go up in smoke.
A neighbor having the worst day of their life.

And when that phone rings and those tones drop…

WE GO.

Day.
Night.
Weekends.
Holidays.
Blizzards.
Heat.
Smoke.
Fire.
Blood.
Chaos.

We go.

The numbers aren’t just statistics.

They represent thousands of times Williston’s firefighters and EMS providers have been there when their community needed them most.

🚒 Service • Dedication • Honor • Pride

08/21/2026

❤️ FILL THE BOOT FOR MDA — AUGUST 26TH ❤️

Next Wednesday, August 26th, from 4:30 PM–7:00 PM, the Williston Fire Department and Williston Rural Fire Department will once again come together for the annual MDA Fill the Boot fundraiser.

For more than 30 years, our two departments have stood side by side for this special event—not just as firefighters, but as members of a community that believes in helping others.

Fill the Boot is about much more than putting money in a boot. It’s about hope, compassion, and making a difference in the lives of families affected by muscular dystrophy and related diseases. It’s a tradition that connects firefighters across North Dakota and throughout the country, all united by the same mission: to serve those who need us, even when there isn’t a fire to fight.

For generations, firefighters have answered the call when people needed help. On August 26th, we’ll be asking our community to help us answer another call.

So when you see firefighters out collecting donations, please stop, say hello, and consider dropping a little something in the boot. Every dollar helps, and every contribution reminds these families that their community—and their firefighters—stand with them. ❤️👨‍🚒

📅 Wednesday, August 26th
⏰ 4:30 PM–7:00 PM
🚒 Williston Fire Department & Williston Rural Fire Department

30+ years of tradition. One community. One mission. One boot at a time.

Thank you, Williston, for always supporting your firefighters and the families we serve. ❤️🚒

08/15/2026

This may not reach everyone, but to those it does, we ask that you take a moment to read it.

We want to talk about what the badge means to us

We chose to pick up a badge that, at first, represented nothing more to some of us than a childhood dream. But when we realized we could turn that dream into a career, money was never what drove us. What drove us was the opportunity to make a difference—to be there for people on some of the worst days of their lives and hopefully make those days a little better.

We understood early on that wearing this badge came with a price. It meant accepting that someday, we might be called upon to put our own lives on the line to protect, rescue, or save someone else. That realization never made us want it any less. If anything, it made the badge mean even more.

This calling has had its ups and downs. There have been long days, hard calls, difficult moments, sacrifices, and times when the weight of the job felt heavy. But through it all, We remain proud.

Proud to wear the badge.
Proud to serve Williston.
Proud to stand beside the men and women who answer the call with us.

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just a job. It’s a calling. It’s a commitment to something bigger than ourselves.

And when we look at what we do as a whole, we know we make a difference.

That badge may be made of metal, but what it represents is priceless: history, service, sacrifice, courage, brotherhood, and the willingness to stand between danger and those who need us most.

We are proud to wear it. We are proud to serve. And we are proud to carry the weight that comes with it!!!

08/14/2026

🔥Every two years, firefighters and union leaders from across the United States and Canada come together for one of the most important events in our union — the IAFF Biennial Convention.

This isn’t just a meeting. This is where the future of our union and our profession is shaped.

👨‍🚒 WE MAKE THE DECISIONS
Delegates debate and vote on resolutions and constitutional changes that help shape IAFF policy on firefighter health and safety, working conditions, labor rights, and the future of the fire service.

🗳️ WE ELECT OUR LEADERS
Delegates elect the IAFF’s principal international officers and District Vice Presidents who will help lead our organization into the next two years.

🎯 WE SET THE COURSE
The Convention establishes the priorities, legislative agenda, and strategic direction of the IAFF for the next two years.

🤝 WE BUILD SOLIDARITY
This is also an opportunity for local leaders from across the U.S. and Canada to share ideas, learn from one another, receive training, and bring those lessons back home to their members.

At the end of the day, we’re all fighting for the same thing:

Stronger locals. Safer firefighters. Better working conditions. And a stronger fire service for the generations coming behind us.

We may come from different cities, different departments, and different locals — but when we walk into that convention hall, we stand together as one IAFF.

🔥 Our voice matters. Our votes matter. Our solidarity matters.

We can’t have a future if we don’t know our past — and we have to be willing to shape the future we want.

07/29/2026

Hey Williston,

Did you know that when there’s a gas leak, hazardous materials spill, structure fire, trench rescue, high-angle rescue, motor vehicle crash with or without entrapment, smoke detector activation, interfacility transport across town or across state lines, or any medical emergency, your local Williston IAFF Local 3743 responds often with minimum staffing and while battling fatigue?

We don’t complain. We show up.

We answer the call on the worst days of your life because that’s what we swore to do.

The fire service has long been known as the jack of all trades and the master of them all. We are expected to perform at the highest level in every emergency imaginable. We train relentlessly so that when your family needs us most, we’re ready.

Our community deserves firefighters who are properly staffed, properly rested, and prepared for whatever emergency comes next.

No matter the circumstances, we will continue to give you our very best, even when we’re at our very worst.

That’s our promise to the people of Williston!

07/28/2026

🔥 Local 3743 will be heading to Arlington!

A delegation of our Local 3743 leadership will be attending the 58th IAFF Convention in Arlington, Texas, to represent the Fire and EMS Professionals of Williston on the international stage.

What does this mean for our members and community?
Every two years, union leaders from across the United States and Canada gather at the IAFF Convention to deliberate, debate, and vote on critical resolutions, constitutional amendments, and leadership that direct the future of our profession.

For our local membership, having our leadership in the room means having direct representation to help advance safety & health initiatives, as well as building regional relationships.

Our leaders are heading south to bring back the tools, knowledge, and backing necessary to keep moving Local 3743 and the Williston Fire Department forward! 🚒✊

🌎 How well do you know history?

For more than a century, IAFF members have gathered in cities across the United States and Canada to debate resolutions, elect leaders, and shape the future of our union.

Before we head to Arlington, , for the 58th IAFF Convention, let's see who knows their history...

Can you name 10 cities that have hosted an IAFF Convention? No Googling! 👀

We'll start you off:

🔥 Washington, DC
🔥 San Diego, CA
🔥 Toronto, ON
🔥 Arlington, TX (2026)

Drop your answers in the comments ⬇️ and see who can name the most!

07/14/2026

📘🔥 DEMYSTIFYING THE NUMBERS: WHAT IS NFPA 1710? 🔥📘

Over the past few months, you’ve probably heard us reference "NFPA standards" when talking about local response times and staffing levels. We want to take a moment to break down exactly what that means, why it matters to your family, and what the objective benchmark for safe firefighting looks like.

❓ What is the NFPA?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating death, injury, and property loss.

🚒 What is NFPA 1710?
NFPA 1710 is the industry standard governing career fire departments across North America. It establishes the absolute minimum staffing levels required to ensure the safest and fastest emergency response possible.

🛑 Why is a 4-person crew the non-negotiable baseline?
The timeline to save a life has shrunk drastically. Forty years ago, residents had about 17 minutes to safely escape a house fire. Today, due to modern building materials and open floor plans, you have as little as 3 minutes to get out. Because fires move faster, civilian fire deaths across the country have actually increased by 16% since 2014.

🦺 Protecting the Protectors: Personnel Safety
Operating at proper staffing levels isn’t just about the community. It is also vital for the physical safety of your first responders. When a department is properly staffed, it directly reduces firefighter burnout, extreme fatigue, and on-the-job injuries.

💡 Why This Matters to Williston
While NFPA 1710 is an industry benchmark rather than a legal law, it serves as the professional definition for safe and effective public safety.

When your local Fire and EMS Professionals advocate for meeting these standards, we aren't asking for extra perks. We are fighting for the proven, scientific minimum required to protect your neighborhood and ensure our personnel make it home safely at the end of their shift!