Founded in 1893, today the department has a total of twenty-three volunteer firefighters and four career personnel. There is a firefighter on duty at the station twenty-four hours a day for a quicker response to emergency calls. The Oelwein Fire Department is involved with much more than fire fighting. We do many special assignments consisting of lockouts, storm watches, medical, carbon monoxide, confined space rescue, automobile extrication, farm and industrial rescues, unlocking dwellings, and unusual odors.

The Department has three pumper/engines, one 85 foot aerial ladder truck, one 2000 gallon tanker, one heavy rescue, and one brush truck.

The two main fund raisers hosted every year are the Fathers Day Omelet breakfast and the spaghetti supper held on Wednesday of Fire Prevention week. The money made from the fund raisers is used to purchase fire and rescue equipment only.