Taylor Volunteer Fire Department

10/10/2026

Fire Prevention Week wraps up today!

Five small habits that prevent most home fires — test those smoke alarms, charge devices on a hard surface, and stay in the kitchen while you cook.

Your volunteers are always ready; help us by keeping your home safe.

In an emergency, call 911.

10/09/2026

Today we presented Fire Safety at the Taylor Elementary School. We had different activities and several Fire trucks to show along with gear, tools and equipment. We had the kids climb ladders, try on helmets and jackets, and spray water at mock fire house! It was a great time and we were able to share knowledge of fire and what to do in an emergency.

10/08/2026

10/07/2026

🔥🌶️ WELL... THE CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG! 🌶️🔥

We are SO excited to officially announce the 14th Annual Stark County Firemen’s Chili Cook-Off!

📅 Saturday, January 16, 2027
📍 Astoria Hotel & Event Center, Dickinson
🚪 Doors open at 5:30 PM

If you’ve been here before, you already know this isn’t just a night of chili.

It’s chili.
It’s live and silent auctions.
It’s games.
It’s a whole lot of laughs.
It’s catching up with people you haven’t seen in forever.
And it’s one BIG night of our community showing up for our local volunteer firefighters. ❤️🔥

And we are ready to do it all over again!

🌶️ WANT TO COOK?

We have a limited number of chili booths available, and they are FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!

So if you’ve spent the last year telling everyone your chili could win this thing...

Time to prove it. 😂

🔥 WANT TO HELP WITHOUT COOKING?

We are always looking for sponsors and donations for our live and silent auctions!

Big or small, it all adds up. If your business, organization, family, or even just YOU have something you’d like to donate, please reach out. We would love to have you be part of it.

And this year we have something NEW...

💻 WE HAVE A WEBSITE!

You can find Cook-Off information, register your chili booth, become a sponsor, or make a donation all in one place:

👉 starkcountychili.my.canva.site

Every penny raised from this event goes straight back to our SIX Stark County volunteer fire departments:

🚒 Belfield Volunteer Fire Department
🚒 Dickinson Rural Fire Department
🚒 Gladstone Volunteer Firefighters
🚒 Richardton Fire Department
🚒 South Heart Fire Dept
🚒 Taylor Volunteer Fire Department

These departments are made up of volunteers who leave their dinners, jobs, beds, families, holidays and everything else when the call comes.

This is our chance to show up for them.

🎟️ TICKETS ARE $20 PER PERSON and kids under 10 are FREE! Every ticket purchased is also automatically entered into our grand prize drawings.

Tickets can be purchased from any participating volunteer fire department, or you can reach out to us right here on Facebook.

📧 [email protected]

We’ve been working behind the scenes for months, and we cannot WAIT to show you what we have planned for year FOURTEEN.

So mark your calendars.

Grab your friends.

Come hungry.

And get ready for one heck of a night.

🔥🌶️ JANUARY 16, 2027. WE’LL SEE YOU THERE! 🌶️🔥

And do us a HUGE favor...

SHARE THIS POST!

The more people we can pack into that building, the more we can give back to the volunteer firefighters who show up for all of us. ❤️🚒

10/06/2026

🔥 MEET THE TEAM: TYLER MYER 🔥

Next up is one of the quieter members of our crew.

Meet Tyler Myer of the Gladstone Volunteer Firefighters, chemical truck driver, dependable helper, sports fan, hunter, vehicle guy, and perhaps most importantly...

🇨🇦 One of our favorite Canadians. 🇨🇦

Tyler is definitely the strong, silent type.

Although we have a theory about that.

The man lives in a house full of girls with VERY big personalities, so we're not entirely convinced Tyler is naturally quiet.

We just don't think he can get a word in. 😂

Whatever the reason, Tyler might not always be the loudest guy in the room, but he is absolutely one of the people we know we can count on.

When we need help, he shows up.

His Chili Cook-Off job officially “varies,” which is Cook-Off language for:

We don't actually give you a job description. We just keep asking you to do things.

And Tyler keeps doing them. ❤️

His favorite part of being on the fire department is the fire family and getting the opportunity to help his community, and when it comes to the Chili Cook-Off, he’s here for a little bit of everything.

🌶️ Heat level: 4/5
🫘 Beans: Sure... just not TOO many
🚫 What doesn't belong in chili: Apparently NOTHING
🧀 Favorite topping: Cheese
🥣 Best chili: Leftovers
🍻 Chili or socializing: BOTH
🥄 Too many bowls: “Till I'm full.”

We appreciate a man who refuses to put arbitrary limits on himself.

Tyler also says he's a pretty competitive person, so he's competitive about basically anything.

Interesting.

The quiet ones are always the ones you have to watch. 😂

If Gladstone's chili doesn't win, Tyler already knows exactly what happened.

Taylor Volunteer Fire Department

Obviously.

At this point, we're not even sure what Taylor did, but the evidence against them continues to pile up.

When asked who is most likely to say “I have an idea...” and immediately make everyone nervous?

Deano.

FINALLY.

Someone other than Ali, Bill or Jon has entered the investigation. 😂

And when we asked who the adult supervision is around here, Tyler responded:

“Is there any?”

Tyler...

We've done several of these interviews now, and unfortunately you may have just given us the most accurate answer yet.

When he isn't working, answering fire calls, helping with whatever random Cook-Off job we've assigned him, or quietly observing the chaos around him, Tyler loves sports, hunting and vehicles.

And did we mention he's Canadian?

Because he did.

With an exclamation point. 😂🇨🇦

Tyler, we're awfully glad you crossed the border and somehow ended up as part of this crazy fire family.

You may be quiet, but you're dependable as they come, you're always willing to pitch in, and we're pretty darn lucky to have you.

And if you ever DO decide you'd like to say something...

Just raise your hand.

We'll ask the girls to give you a turn. ❤️🔥😂

10/05/2026

🔥 MEET THE TEAM: MICHELLE & BRADLEY MAYER 🔥

Today you get a TWO-FOR-ONE SPECIAL because apparently these two do everything together... including turning things nobody asked them to compete in into a competition. 😂

Meet Michelle & Bradley Mayer of the Gladstone Volunteer Firefighters and Auxiliary!

Bradley is a Captain with Gladstone Fire, Michelle is our Auxiliary President, and together they are two of those people this Chili Cook-Off simply could not happen without.

Let’s start with Bradley.

Bradley has a very special talent that we aren’t sure can actually be taught:

The man can get sponsorships.

Like... REALLY, REALLY, REALLY get sponsorships.

We don’t ask too many questions.

We just give him a list, send him into the wild, and wait for him to come back with money. 😂

His official Chili Cook-Off job?

According to Bradley:

“We have titles?!”

Perfect. No notes.

Michelle, on the other hand, is basically responsible for keeping this circus from becoming a full-blown disaster.

Secretary.
Excel Spreadsheet Guru.
Bidder keeper.
Money tracker.
Organizer of all the things.
Whatever else gets thrown her way.

And perhaps her most important contribution of all...

PUMPKIN BARS.

There are meetings.

And then there are meetings with Michelle’s pumpkin bars.

These are two VERY different levels of productivity. 😂

If you’ve been following this series, you may also recognize Michelle’s name.

Jeremy said Michelle was the adult supervision.

Sheldon said Michelle was the adult supervision.

So naturally, when we finally asked Michelle herself who the adult supervision is, she said:

“We are all kids at heart.”

Michelle.

The people have spoken.

It’s you. 😂

Now for the official stats:

🌶️ Heat level: 4/5
🫘 Beans: NO
🚫 Absolutely NOT: Noodles
🧀 Favorite topping: Cheese
🥣 Best chili: First day
🍻 Chili or socializing: “We have time to eat at the event?!”
🥄 Too many bowls: WHEN DID WE SET RESTRICTIONS?!

Honestly, fair.

Their favorite part of the Cook-Off is supporting our fire families, which fits these two perfectly.

Bradley loves being part of the fire department because he gets to help people when they need it most... and apparently because running toward danger sounds like a reasonable hobby.

Michelle loves being part of something bigger than herself, supporting her husband, and being part of a fire family that keeps showing up for one another.

The team describes them with one word:

Supportive. ❤️

We would also accept competitive.

Michelle is particularly motivated by being underestimated. Tell her she can’t do something and there’s a pretty good chance you’ve just guaranteed that thing is getting done.

Bradley?

He competes in things nobody else realized were competitions.

And somehow, no matter what they're doing, they BOTH walk away convinced they won.

We’re not getting involved. 😂

When asked what people attending the Cook-Off would never guess happens behind the scenes, they gave us a glimpse into our highly sophisticated event-planning process:

Jon: “How about this...”

Everyone else:

Oh no.

😂😂😂

They’d also like to add potato sack races to the Cook-Off, which somehow sounds downright responsible compared to the leg wrestling, sumo wrestling, three-legged races and Mr. Chili pageant that have already been proposed.

At this point, we may accidentally be organizing field day.

All jokes aside, these two are a perfect example of what we want people to see through this series.

The Chili Cook-Off isn't put together by some event company.

It’s firefighters.

It’s spouses.

It’s auxiliary members.

It’s friends.

It’s people working full-time jobs and then spending their evenings asking for sponsorships, building spreadsheets, tracking bidders, counting money, attending meetings and saying yes to whatever crazy idea comes next.

And sometimes...

It’s pumpkin bars.

Never underestimate the importance of the pumpkin bars. ❤️🔥🌶️

10/05/2026

🔥 FIRE PREVENTION WEEK • Oct 4-10, 2026
Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower™

This year's theme is about lithium-ion battery safety — the batteries in our phones, tablets, laptops, tools, and e-bikes.

Your Taylor, ND volunteer firefighters want you to know these 4 life-saving habits:

1. Use the right charger — use the cord and charger that came with your device or one approved by the manufacturer
2. Charge on hard, flat surfaces — table or desk, not on beds, couches, or under pillows
3. Watch for warning signs — stop using it if it feels very hot, swells, smokes, or smells strange
4. Unplug at 100% — don't leave it plugged in longer than needed

In Taylor, fire prevention isn't just a week — it's neighbors looking out for neighbors. Our volunteers answer the call, and this week they’re asking you to help prevent the next one.

Take 5 minutes today: check your charging setup, test your smoke alarms, and talk to your kids about an escape plan.