The Wolf River Volunteer Fire Department (WRVFD) is an all-volunteer fire department located in the Town of Wolf River in eastern Langlade County in Northeast Wisconsin. Our roster averages 15 to 20 active members, which includes both firefighters and non-firefighters. Firefighters complete a minimum of 60 hours of college credit coursework before they engage in entry-level fireground tasks. Other members perform tasks that free firefighters for activities that require certification. All members participate in regular training and continuing education opportunities to build skills and teamwork for the wide variety of incidents to which we respond. Those incidents include not only structure and wildland fires but also motor vehicle accidents, severe weather response, and search and rescue (SAR) situations. WRVFD does not provide emergency medical services.

About Our Area: A typical township in Wisconsin is 6 square miles. The Town of Wolf River (population 731) is considerably larger at 118.8 square miles. Under contract with the adjacent Town of Evergreen (population 495), WRVFD also covers 36.1 square miles to our west. The Town of Wolf River contracts with the Townsend (Oconto County) Fire Department to serve a cluster of residences in the Mary Lake area in the far northeast corner of the Town of Wolf River. Altogether WRVFD covers 155 square miles.

Our Station: WRVFD has only one station. The address is N4393 Blue Goose Drive, which is just south of the intersection of State Hwy. 55 and State Hwy. 64 in Langlade. Space is limited in our quarters so most events (including briefings) are held in the Wolf River Town Hall adjacent to the station.

Mutual Aid Partners: WRVFD has an automatic mutual aid agreement with the Village of White Lake Fire Department (WLFD). We routinely train with WLFD and other departments in Langlade County. WRVFD also participates in the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), which gives us access to resources in a wider area.

Common Confusions: While WRVFD works in cooperation with other departments, we are a separate department. We know it's confusing: We're located in Langlade, but we are not the Town of Langlade (TOL) Fire Department. We have a White Lake address, but we are not the White Lake Fire Department (and do not have a new station, which they recently built to replace the station damaged by a roof collapse in 2019). WRVFD has its own station, equipment, officers, members and funding.

Funding: While WRVFD gets some funding from the Towns of Wolf River and Evergreen, we also rely on grants, donations, the 2% Fire Dues program, and our own fundraising efforts. Our annual raffle and sweet corn sale account for about a third of our annual operating budget. Those funds and an annual Fill The Boot event help pay for equipment purchases, training expenses, and our portion of funded grants.

WRVFD serves an area that includes the Wolf River, federal and state lands, and other natural resources that attract recreational users. Since 1990, the department has trained and equipped a wide variety of search and rescue calls. We respond to calls for lost or injured rafters, canoers, kayakers, hunters, hikers, snowmobilers, ATVers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, and people who follow their GPS into routes that really aren't roads. Because of our training and our reputation, we are sometimes requested to support other agencies on search and rescue operations. Many times SAR operations cover areas greater than our fireground radio channels can reach, and cell phones don't work in all areas where we may be working. In such situations, we have little choice but to use open channels on local government radio. For the safety of all, we ask that media partners do not go to locations that might be identified in radio traffic. Instead, check in at the designated Incident Command center.