Darwin Brewer’s passion for helping others as a volunteer firefighter was first ignited as a child. Because his father was a volunteer fireman in Pike Township in Marion County, Brewer grew up admiring the people who helped the community in emergencies. When his family’s house caught fire, he knew he wanted to become a firefighter, sparking a lifelong dedication. He was 16 years old at the time.

He joined the Pike Township Volunteer Fire Department once he came of age. When he moved to Rush County, he joined the Manilla Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) and continued to help those in perilous situations.

With his passion still aflame decades later, he established the Manilla Community Volunteer Fire Department Fund to support the needs of the Department. As a designated fund, it will provide an annual grant to the department. Brewer served on RCCF’s board from 2006-11 and has seen firsthand the opportunities that arise from the funds at the organization.

“I thought if I had a way to help donate money, anyone could help our department because it costs a lot of money to keep going,” said Brewer. “I just wanted some way to help the guys.”

MVFD has helped the community through many distressing events, and the Department provides safety and comfort to those in need. Not only is MVFD dedicated to the Manilla community, but also to Rush County as a whole. The MVFD has provided mutual aid for all townships in emergencies, using teamwork to provide support to the larger Rush County.

Also committed to preventing emergencies, MVFD spreads awareness of incoming weather and practices that keep neighborhoods safe. Through a grant at RCCF, MVFD installed a tornado siren that has helped the small community support each other through dangerous conditions.

“We try to look out for each other. That’s what the whole community’s about, looking out for each other,” he said.

Beyond caring for the community in emergencies, MVFD brings the community together. Volunteers unite the community with their pork chop dinners, creating a space to nurture camaraderie and support. Children and families gawk at the fire trucks as they interact with the Department for the first time. The volunteers pass down their love and passion for MVFD, just as they inherited that passion from the volunteers before them.

The community can also use the meeting room in the Department for reunions, family events and funerals. “I think the fire department helps hold the community together, especially since we don’t have a school anymore. It’s one way that the community can come and do something together and feel like they’re part of the fire department,” said Brewer.
The Manilla Community Volunteer Fire Department Fund gives the community an opportunity to continue to support MVFD.

“I feel very proud to be able to do something for our department, and I can see the benefits of that as things happen along the years… Every move forward is a good thing for the community. Everybody I see over there always has a good smile on their face, and there are really good people in the community [who] come and help us out,” he said.

To support Brewer and his efforts to provide resources to the Manilla Volunteer Fire Department, consider donating to the Manilla Community Volunteer Fire Department Fund.