S1, E3: We Want You More Than You Think - Dustin Cleveland Interview

May 6th, 2026: In this episode of The Heart of the Volunteer, I sit down with Dustin Cleveland of the Monetta Fire Department in Monetta for a conversation that gets to the core of why people continue to show up.

From the outside, it’s easy to assume that volunteering takes more time than most people can give. It’s one of the most common reasons people never walk through the door. But as Dustin shares, that perception isn’t always the reality.

We talk about what life actually looks like inside a volunteer fire department. The balance between family, work, and the unpredictability of the pager. The calls that stay with you. The trade-offs that don’t always get talked about. And the moment when something that starts out as personal interest turns into a responsibility to the people around you.

Dustin opens up about the realities of serving in a small, rural community, where you’re not responding to strangers, you’re responding to neighbors. He shares what it was like stepping away from the fire service and what it took to walk back through the door years later. And maybe most importantly, he speaks to the idea that this role is a commitment, but not an obligation. Something you fit into your life, not something that takes it over.

This episode isn’t about tactics or training. It’s about perspective. About breaking down the barriers that keep good people from ever taking that first step. And about understanding that sometimes, the hardest part of all of this… is simply walking through the door.

If you’ve ever thought about volunteering, or wondered what keeps people coming back to something that asks so much of them, this conversation is a good place to start.