Community Programs, Support & Giving
Welcome to our community outreach and support initiatives. The O’Fallon Fire Department is proud to serve our community beyond emergency response. Through prevention programs, safety education, and community-driven giving, we work alongside our neighbors to reduce risk, provide resources, and support families when they need it most. This work strengthens the safety of our community every day.
Help a Neighbor After a House Fire
A house fire can happen in an instant, and the days that follow are overwhelming. Hoseline to Hope is a local emergency relief fund founded by the O’Fallon Fire Department and sustained entirely by donations from community partners, local businesses, and residents like you.
Questions? Contact us by phone, email, or through our Contact Us page.
What Funds Help With
This fund exists because of the generosity of our community. Without it, we could not be there for families when they need help most. When someone in our service area is displaced by a house fire, this fund is there to help. The Hoseline to Hope Fire Victim Relief Fund helps with:
- Immediate lodging and shelter
- Clothing, hygiene items, and daily essentials
- Critical needs during the first days after a fire
Our Commitment
100% local. 100% to families. No administrative costs.
Donations are held in reserve and deployed directly when a family in our community needs them most. Since our founding, Hoseline to Hope has supported more than 15 adults and children in the O’Fallon Fire Department service area.
Every contribution, large or small, makes a difference.
How to Give
Venmo
@OfallonFire
Memo: Hoseline to Hope (To support a specific family, add their name in the note)
Check or Cash
Accepted year-round at Fire Headquarters
1215 Taylor Rd., O’Fallon, IL 62269
At Community Events
We accept donations at our annual Open House and other community events throughout the year. We also post donation opportunities on our social media pages, especially following a local fire that has displaced a family. Following us online is one of the best ways to know when and how your gift can make an immediate impact.
Smoke Alarm Program
Be Alarmed!
Free Smoke Alarms for Our Community
Working smoke alarms save lives. Through the Be Alarmed! Smoke Alarm Installation Program, a statewide initiative administered by Camp I Am Me by Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the O’Fallon Fire Department can provide free 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms and place and test them in eligible homes at no cost to the resident.
Who Qualifies
This program is available to residents within the O’Fallon Fire Department service district. Not sure if you’re in our district? Just reach out. We’re happy to help you find out.
Please note: Free 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms are not appropriate for every home. Specific details about your home and its existing alarm system will determine what type of alarms should be in place. When you contact us, we’ll gather this information and help identify what smoke alarms should be in your home.
We Also Help With Alarms You’ve Already Purchased
If you’ve purchased your own smoke alarms, whether battery-operated or hard-wired, our personnel can also assist with placing and testing those as well.
Before We Visit: A Few Important Questions
Whether you’re requesting free OFD-provided alarms or need help with alarms you’ve purchased yourself, we’ll ask a few questions before we come out. This helps us make sure we arrive with the right equipment and knowledge to help you correctly.
For example, a battery-operated alarm cannot simply replace a hard-wired alarm. The type of alarm matters, and we want to get it right for your home.
Please note: Hard-wired smoke alarm replacement involves your home’s electrical system. In some cases, our personnel may determine that existing wiring conditions prevent us from safely completing the hard-wired alarm replacement. If that happens, we’ll let you know and help point you toward appropriate next steps. Your safety, and the safety of our crew, always comes first.
Illinois Smoke Alarm Law
What You Should Know
Illinois has required smoke alarms in all dwellings since 1988. As of January 1, 2023, any new smoke alarm placed in a single or multi-family home must have a 10-year sealed battery, whether replacing an old alarm or adding a new one.
Exemptions apply to homes with hardwired smoke alarms and homes with wireless integrated alarm systems.
Alarms with replaceable batteries that were in place before January 1, 2023 can remain in service until they reach 10 years from manufacture, fail testing, or malfunction. At that point, they must be replaced with a 10-year sealed battery alarm unless your home qualifies for an exemption.
All smoke alarms must be replaced at 10 years from the manufacture date. This includes hard-wired models. Many homeowners overlook this requirement. An alarm may still beep when tested, but sensors degrade over time and a passing beep does not guarantee reliable protection. Check the manufacture date on the back of your alarm and add 10 years to find your replacement date.
For the full text of the Illinois Smoke Alarm Law, click below.
A Free Fire Extinguisher for Your Home
Every home in our fire district deserves a working fire extinguisher, and now yours can have one, at no cost.
Through the One Home, One Extinguisher program, eligible residents can receive one free ABC fire extinguisher from the O’Fallon Fire Department. When you receive your extinguisher, one of our team members will walk you through how to use it safely using the PASS method: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep.
Who Qualifies
Residents within the O’Fallon Fire Department service district are eligible to receive one extinguisher per household.
How to Request
Contact us by phone, email, or through our
Fire Extinguisher Help Form. Extinguishers are available for pick-up at Fire Headquarters or, depending on crew and staff availability, we may be able to arrange delivery. Please keep in mind that our crew’s schedule and emergency response duties may affect timing. We appreciate your flexibility.
Remember: A fire extinguisher is for small, contained fires. It is only effective when used correctly and on the right type of fire. When in doubt, get out, close the door behind you, and call 9-1-1 from outside.
Donate & Support
Community Donations
The programs above, and the training that makes them possible, are supported in part by generous donations from our community. There are several ways you can help.
Monetary Donations
The O’Fallon Fire Department is a volunteer-based department. Financial contributions from the community help make everything we do possible, from sustaining the Hoseline to Hope relief fund to funding firefighter training, purchasing protective gear and tools, and supporting the certification classes that keep our volunteers skilled and ready.
Venmo Us to Donate Online
@OfallonFire
In-Kind & Material Donations
- Hay or straw
- Wooden pallets
- Junk or salvage vehicles
- Batteries (AA, 9V)
- Bottled water
Availability and specific needs vary throughout the year. If you have items to donate, please contact us first. We’ll let you know what we currently need and make arrangements for drop-off or, when possible, pickup.
Drop-Off Location
O’Fallon Fire Headquarters
1215 Taylor Rd., O’Fallon, IL 62269
Please do not drop off items without contacting us first. We want to make sure we can accept and make good use of your contribution.
Community Support Merchandise
Show your support for the O’Fallon Fire Department while helping fund important community programs.
We offer O’Fallon Fire Community Supporter T-Shirts and official OFD Challenge Coins for purchase. Proceeds from these items go directly toward supporting our firefighters and outreach initiatives.
Whether you’re wearing your support or collecting a piece of our department’s tradition, every purchase helps make a difference in our community.
For availability and purchasing information, please contact us or watch for announcements at community events and on our social media pages.