HOPE — This Saturday, the smell of pancakes, sausage, and eggs will rise from griddles as firefighters serve breakfast to the community during a fundraiser event for the Sam Owen Fire District. 

This year marks the district’s 24th annual pancake breakfast event, said Todd Wendle, a volunteer firefighter with the SOFD, adding that the money raised will provide gear for firefighters who may not be able to afford it. 

The event, which costs $6 per person, will be held inside the Sam Owen Fire Station where community members will eat breakfast. 

"We have table and chairs set up in the fire station," said Wendell, "We move all the vehicles out and it looks really nice." 

While at the station, community members will be able to see the fire equipment up close, while children get a behind-the-scenes look at what firefighters do. 

"I get to put on a set of turnouts. They all get a plastic fire helmet, stickers, and they can get in the trucks," Wendell said. 

While the event aims to inform and connect the community with the district, it also serves to recruit interested volunteer firefighters. 

Many small fire departments are driven by the number of calls they receive, said Wendell. Having full-time firefighters is expensive, and not a necessity for the SOFD. As a result, the station is primarily comprised of dedicated part-time volunteer firefighters. 

Wendell said the district hopes to recruit six more volunteers for training classes beginning in September. 

For many drivers caught in traffic after an accident, frustration sets in when they realize the delay will make them late to their destination. Many instinctively reach for their phones and begin to scroll. 

That's a habit Wendell hopes people will break. 

Instead, he urges drivers to leave their phone untouched and think about the firefighters at the scene. 

"We really have one job, and that's to help people," Wendell said.