The Oakdale Fire Explorers have been in existence since 1995. The explores are a non-profit organization with a membership of 8 explorers. The explorers have their own fundraisers to help pay for their equipment and training, with the help of Oakdale Fire Department. The explorers participate in some of the Oakdale Fire Department drills and assist in community activities, such as summerfest and fire prevention week. The explorers fire organization assists the fire department with some fire/rescue scenes by aiding in rehabilitation and investigation.
The explorers train year round for a competition called the Challenge. This competition is held once a year at the St. Paul Fire Training facility over the course of a weekend. The explorers are test on their ability to execute several different tasks. The task range from CPR to Search and Rescue. In a normal competition approximately 9 explorer posts compete.
The explorer program is led by 4 advisors that participate in meetings, setting up of competitions, and training. The explorer organization is a self managed organization and records all it's own call information and runs its own meetings. The explorer organizations advisors are members of the Oakdale Fire Department.