Volunteer Fire and Rescue: Is it Right for You?

So you've noticed all those fliers and posters your local fire department has placed in an effort at recruitment and you're asking yourself whether or not you should volunteer. The guys on the department seem nice enough. Maybe you've talked to one or two of them about joining. But what are your real obligations? What are you really in for? Hopefully, after reading this article, some of your fears will be put to rest.

Do they really need me?

In a word, YES!!! Seventy-four percent of America's firefighters and EMTs belong to volunteer departments. The vast majority of these departments are seeing dwindling membership as older members are retiring out and others are tired of shoudering the burden of departmental activities that less active members are ignoring. Recruitment and retention is reaching critical levels throughout the country and your help and support is desperately needed, no matter where you live.

Do I have the right kind of personality or experience to join the Volunteer Fire Department?

Volunteers come from all walks of life, have many different personalities and come from a myriad of backgrounds. Some questions to answer first are: Do I stay calm in a crisis? Do I operate best as part of a team? Do I enjoy being in a position of leadership? Do I tend to have a "Type A" personality? Do I hold myself accountable for my actions? Do I like being busy? Do I take constructive criticism well? Am I trainable?

If the answer to most of these questions is "yes", it doesn't matter if you are a man or woman, African-American, Hispanic, or Asian-American, Muslim, Hindu Jew, Catholic or Protestant. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. What matters is that you are committed to making your community a better place in which to live.

What happens first?

In order to join the fire department, you have to fill out their application and be accepted. Usually this involves going to an open meeting of department members, formally requesting membership and answering a few questions active members may have for you. These questions are usually in regard to background, experience and why you want to join the department. Then, the members will vote on whether or not you should be accepted as a provisional member.

Next comes the criminal background check. You are automatically excluded if you have any sex offense convictions, a pre-determined number of traffic citations or drug and/or alcohol convictions. (Drug and alcohol convictions can be forgiven in exceptional circumstances, i.e. if a certain length of time has passed without further convictions.)

Then, at the next open meeting, the members will vote to accept you as a probationary member.

What happens while I am a probationary member?

During your first six months to one year of probationary membership, you will be required to fill all your educational requirements. This entails being compliant with OSHA regulations and any state and local regulations that apply. This period is also when your department will have you complete an EMT class, Firefighter I training or both. Usually, you will still be able to ride along on the ambulance to rescue calls, but your role on scene will be limited to support. You don't have to be an EMT, for example, to move a cot, haul bags or retrieve equipment. You can take vital signs on a patient, for example, under the direct supervision of a licensed EMT, provided you are currently an EMT student or have recently completed the class.

Most departments will not allow you in an actual burning building until you have received appropriate training. But there are tons of things on a fire scene for probationary members to do that do not involve fighting the actual fire. You will learn which end of the hose is connected to the truck and which is connected to the nozzle. You can lay hose, set up equipment, assist in keeping track of firefighters in the fire and those who have not gone in yet. You can assist with pump operations and haul water to exhausted firemen. After the fire is out, you can assist in searching for "hot spots" and help load the trucks. You can wash hoses when returning to the station and with clean up on-scene. While you are on the scene, however, you'll learn a phenomenal amount about firefighting procedure and technique and how to come out of a burn alive.

How much education is involved?

Prior to any other training, you'll need to take the 4-hour American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Provider course. This class will certify you in CPR, the "Heimlich Maneuver" and the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). It is the foundation for all other training.

The amount of hours an EMT course has varies from state to state, however most classes are around 150 hours of classroom time, usually spread over three months. Training includes patient assessment, airway management, glucometer training, medical and trauma emergencies, documentation and communications and more.

Firefighter I training is usually spread over as much as six months in 20 sessions. Firefighter I consists of classroom time spent on SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) usage, protective clothing, building construction, laying hose, search and rescue, hazardous materials and more. At the end of the training, there is a written and practical exam prior to the awarding of certification/licensure.

Most volunteer fire departments also offer monthly training sessions, usually on a designated night. For instance, the first Monday of the month is devoted to Officer Meetings, the second Monday is devoted to Membership Meetings, the third Monday is Rescue Training, the fourth Monday is Fire Drill. This is also something to take into consideration when joining your department...you will be devoting one night a week, on average, sometimes more, to fire department business and education, especially the first year.

What is the cost involved?

Usually there is little to no out-of-pocket expense for the volunteer. Many departments will pay for your eductional expenses up front, others will reimburse tuition expenses after one year of continuous service. Some services have agreements with the local bank to lend you the tuition amount to pay for the classes you need that will be paid off by the department, assuming you fill certain requirements. All of your protective gear, uniforms and equipment will be paid for by the department.

What benefits are offered?

Benefits vary by municipality. Most departments offer at least minimal life insurance coverage at no cost to the volunteers. Many offer fairly substantial life insurance policies at no- to low-cost for volunteers. There are other rewards offered at the federal level for firefighters and EMTs as well, such as a $300,000 benefit for survivors of an EMT or Firefighter who died as a direct result of being on a call. This benefit also covers EMTs/Firefighters who suffer a heart attack within 24 hours of a call if it can be proven that the heart attack was a direct result of the call.

Some departments offer a pay-per-call stipend as a reward for responding. Others have a point system of reward and recognition that are tracked at different intervals.

The biggest reward of all, however, is the sense of fraternity you get from joining the department in the first place. It offers an individual the opportunity to feel connected to the community. And, when you join the fire department, you do not only join the brotherhood of firefighters in your community, but worldwide. Anytime you meet another firefighter from another community, state or country, you have found a long-lost brother. You have an instant friend, a comrade in arms, per se.

Is the education, time and effort worth it?

The answer to that question is up to each individual firefighter and EMT. When you join a fire department, you have to have a self-sacrificing attitude in the first place. You live in service to your community. You miss Thanksgiving dinners, birthday parties, are awakened at 2:30 in the morning to go on a run and deal with a lot of ugliness of which the general public is blissfully ignorant. Largely, it's thankless work and it's dirty work. You do it because you really love doing it. You do it because it is fufilling and, in short order, it becomes part of your identity. It allows you to feel a sense of community that no other volunteer organization can offer you because there are no other volunteer organizations that ask you to put your life in another's hands and care for the lives that are put in yours.

If you have any other questions regarding volunteering, please feel free to contact me at amprobbins@gmail.com