What is it like to be volunteer firefighter?
January 12, 2011 1:09 PM Subscribe
What's it like to be a volunteer firefighter?
One town over (less than a mile away from my house) is an all-volunteer fire department. I am a lawyer in my early 30s, not terribly adventurous, and with no family members or friends who are or ever have been firefighters, but for some reason I have felt pulled toward signing up. I know I could call or stop by the firehouse - and that would be a likely next step in this process - but before I do that and feel silly I want to learn what a volunteer firefighter job would actually entail.
For those volunteer firefighters out there, what can you tell me? If I work a typical 9-5 schedule, is there flexibility of only working nights and weekends? Do places accommodate a need to periodically travel for work? Do they teach you to do everything? Is there some minimum commitment that you make? Is there a tryout phase - on both sides - to make sure that it is a good fit? Are there time commitments outside of the actual shifts? Are there financial expectations (i.e. that the firefighters will make donations, buy their own equipment, etc?)
Sorry for the disjointed questions and thanks for whatever you can teach me.
One town over (less than a mile away from my house) is an all-volunteer fire department. I am a lawyer in my early 30s, not terribly adventurous, and with no family members or friends who are or ever have been firefighters, but for some reason I have felt pulled toward signing up. I know I could call or stop by the firehouse - and that would be a likely next step in this process - but before I do that and feel silly I want to learn what a volunteer firefighter job would actually entail.
For those volunteer firefighters out there, what can you tell me? If I work a typical 9-5 schedule, is there flexibility of only working nights and weekends? Do places accommodate a need to periodically travel for work? Do they teach you to do everything? Is there some minimum commitment that you make? Is there a tryout phase - on both sides - to make sure that it is a good fit? Are there time commitments outside of the actual shifts? Are there financial expectations (i.e. that the firefighters will make donations, buy their own equipment, etc?)
Sorry for the disjointed questions and thanks for whatever you can teach me.
Do it. Volunteer. If you find it is not right for you, then walk away.
When I lived in the north-east, I was a VFF. It was a great experience for me. I meet a lot of people, got involved in the community, and felt good about doing it.
Usually, to join, there is a training requirement. For me, it was 2 weekends in a row - 8 hours a day - 4 in a classroom, 4 working with equipment. The training was interesting and fun.
Generally, most VFDs have minimum call requirements. It is usually something like 35% - meaning you have to make 35% of calls and drills in any one year. Any less, and they feel that your training will not stay sharp.
And don't worry, they are not going to make you do anything you can't handle. The VFD does not want to create a problem for you - they need lots of support guys too.
I know that VFDs need volunteers. Try it. Your community needs you.
posted by Flood at 1:44 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
When I lived in the north-east, I was a VFF. It was a great experience for me. I meet a lot of people, got involved in the community, and felt good about doing it.
Usually, to join, there is a training requirement. For me, it was 2 weekends in a row - 8 hours a day - 4 in a classroom, 4 working with equipment. The training was interesting and fun.
Generally, most VFDs have minimum call requirements. It is usually something like 35% - meaning you have to make 35% of calls and drills in any one year. Any less, and they feel that your training will not stay sharp.
And don't worry, they are not going to make you do anything you can't handle. The VFD does not want to create a problem for you - they need lots of support guys too.
I know that VFDs need volunteers. Try it. Your community needs you.
posted by Flood at 1:44 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
How fortuitous, reddit's "IAmA" has this recent: IAmA Volunteer Firefighter in state of New York. AMA (Ask Me Anything)
posted by artlung at 2:25 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by artlung at 2:25 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Answering your question is somewhat like answering the question, "What does a lawyer do?" By that I mean there are many different ways to answer the same question based upon circumstance, location, training and the philosophy of the Department. Before I got too old for it, I was a volunteer firefighter - emergency medical technician. In our department, we trained one evening a week and were expected to attend all training sessions. Most of us were employed within a short few miles of the station and could be relied upon to respond to most calls. A few were not so situated or as reliable. The majority of our calls were either vehicular trauma or medical emergency calls. Maybe one in fifty were fire-related. Thus, more than half of us were medically trained and certified as well as trained in rescue techniques.
We covered for the next community over where almost all of the members worked out of the area and could not respond to daytime calls. Few of them were medically trained, so we responded to their vehicular accidents as well.
I have never done anything that that was as fulfilling as was my time with the department. If you have an interest, go to the station and talk to the chief. Let him/her know what your time constraints are and what you are willing to give to the department. They'll let you know if you are able to help. If they invite you in, go for it, but make it a commitment, not an experiment. You'll probably get hooked.
posted by Old Geezer at 2:30 PM on January 12, 2011
We covered for the next community over where almost all of the members worked out of the area and could not respond to daytime calls. Few of them were medically trained, so we responded to their vehicular accidents as well.
I have never done anything that that was as fulfilling as was my time with the department. If you have an interest, go to the station and talk to the chief. Let him/her know what your time constraints are and what you are willing to give to the department. They'll let you know if you are able to help. If they invite you in, go for it, but make it a commitment, not an experiment. You'll probably get hooked.
posted by Old Geezer at 2:30 PM on January 12, 2011
My brother-in-law and two nephews were volunteers for years before they went pro. They had to go through quite a bit of training before they were allowed to fight fires, and then more as they became more skilled, including EMT training. There were scanners installed at their house so they would know when there was a call, and then it's a question of dashing to the fire house and getting in the truck. A lot of the guys (it was all guys there) would just hang around the fire house when they had free time, so they'd be there if needed. The fire house also had facilities for spending the night. I don't think they had a set schedule, but then they wanted to go to every fire they could, so if they were around (i.e., not at work), they went. I remember they all severely limited their drinking so that they'd be ready to drive at any time. Now they're all pros with set schedules, but they will still dash over to Station 7 if they happen to be around and there's a call.
posted by JanetLand at 2:31 PM on January 12, 2011
posted by JanetLand at 2:31 PM on January 12, 2011
Michael Perry's Population 485 describes his experience as a volunteer firefighter in rural Wisconsin.
posted by sulaine at 3:17 PM on January 12, 2011
posted by sulaine at 3:17 PM on January 12, 2011
Best answer: Volunteer firefighting is the best thing that has happened to my life.
I am a 21-year-old paramedic student who works second and third shift in an ER--not exactly a 9-to-5 job. I have been a firefighter/EMT in four volunteer fire departments since I was 16, and I have held officer positions in both fire and ambulance divisions. I teach at basic fire school. None of my family and friends were firefighters either, so I was in your shoes about 6 years ago. Feel absolutely free to MeMail me with any specific questions!
My current department is in a college-town suburb of Philadelphia. We get about 350 calls a year. We have members who are doctors (I hope to join them someday), members who are lawyers, and members who are economists. Most of the membership in every department I've ever been part of is made up of blue collar workers, however, so if this isn't an environment you grew up in, prepare for a small amount of culture shock. I am one of proportionally few female interior firefighters I've met, although there seem to be a lot of women in EMS.
Working 9 to 5 should not cause any sort of problem for you. Some departments have duty crews scheduled every night, where you have to refrain from drinking or traveling far from the station. However, most departments just expect you to run down to the station if you are free and the pager or fire horn goes off. All departments won't worry at all about traveling. Family, work, and school have come before firefighting in every department I've ever been part of.
Although some departments teach everything in-house, most will send you to an academy where you will learn all the basic firefighting skills. The minimum commitment is usually that you make a certain number of business meetings and a certain number of trainings/drills, which are often scheduled weekly or biweekly. (Drill night is a great time for a prospective member to come down and learn what the department does, as well as meet the officers--find out when it is and drop by!) On top of drills, you may have to make a certain percentage of the calls, nominally so you learn and retain skills. I have been in a department that expected you to make 10% of their 800 yearly calls, and one that expected you to make 40% of their 120 calls. My current department has no percentage requirement.
There is almost always a probationary period for you--between six months and three years where you learn how to do everything. In this period, you may have more stringent requirements on your activity level and how you conduct yourself. You will likely be expected to do a lot of grunt work--throwing ladders and moving hoses--while you learn about operations, standard procedures, and basic skills. There may be some degree of hazing, but most departments are actively getting rid of this. You may not be allowed to get on the first piece of apparatus out of the station--instead, you might get on the second engine, so the scene is mostly controlled when you show up. You may not be allowed to drive the trucks or become an officer before your probation is up and you have proven yourself trustworthy. You may not be allowed to go into a burning building, even if you have completed basic fire school. Or you may have to have an officer on your crew if you go into a burning structure. None of these are absolutes across all the departments I've been in, just examples of restrictions on probationary members from department to department.
As far as monetary commitments go, I have never encountered dues greater than $50 a year. I have never seen anyone required to purchase their own essentials like turnout gear, even me, who is not a common size, even in a department that hasn't purchased a new truck since 1982. In the past five years, I have bought about $120 in non-essential equipment like personal escape rope, carabiners, a flashlight, and a small toolkit for truck work.
Fire school, if you are required to go, is a pretty big time commitment: twice-weekly evening classes and Saturday skill days for a semester, at least under the curriculum where I work. Most states require departments to have a certain percentage of nationally-certified firefighters in order to receive state grant funds, and the easiest way to get certified is fire school. A small number of departments still allow you to train on all your skills in-house and then just challenge the fire school final exam to get your cert.
The only other thing I can think of in terms of commitment is physical and emotional fitness. Interior firefighting is obviously demanding. Take a look at the CPAT that some departments use as an entrance requirement. Even if yours doesn't, I would recommend getting in shape before they send you to fire school. Live burn training is not the place to learn you get winded going up 3 flights of stairs in turnout gear and an air pack. Still, it is totally doable--at 5'3" and 135ish, I have never been asked to do anything I physically couldn't do, including carrying 75+ lbs of equipment on top of the 50 pounds of protective gear you will hump around. I have dragged someone down a smoke-filled hallway alone, thankfully it was only a medical emergency he had during training, not a real fire. I have discovered a guy who suffocated in the bathroom because of a fire. I have had a staircase on fire fall on me. If this isn't something you think you can handle now, don't worry--exterior firefighting can get you ready for interior firefighting, or help you get your decision straight.
As another resource, artlung makes a good point: there are a lot of reddit IAmAs about firefighting. I did a tangentially related one by request, about EMS and being a paramedic student.
A lot of these statements have been things that vary from department to department, but this is an absolute: if you come willing to learn and work hard, your department will totally appreciate you! Don't worry so much about knowing everything before you go down and talk to people. You'll learn a lot in training.
posted by skyl1n3 at 4:36 PM on January 12, 2011 [11 favorites]
I am a 21-year-old paramedic student who works second and third shift in an ER--not exactly a 9-to-5 job. I have been a firefighter/EMT in four volunteer fire departments since I was 16, and I have held officer positions in both fire and ambulance divisions. I teach at basic fire school. None of my family and friends were firefighters either, so I was in your shoes about 6 years ago. Feel absolutely free to MeMail me with any specific questions!
My current department is in a college-town suburb of Philadelphia. We get about 350 calls a year. We have members who are doctors (I hope to join them someday), members who are lawyers, and members who are economists. Most of the membership in every department I've ever been part of is made up of blue collar workers, however, so if this isn't an environment you grew up in, prepare for a small amount of culture shock. I am one of proportionally few female interior firefighters I've met, although there seem to be a lot of women in EMS.
Working 9 to 5 should not cause any sort of problem for you. Some departments have duty crews scheduled every night, where you have to refrain from drinking or traveling far from the station. However, most departments just expect you to run down to the station if you are free and the pager or fire horn goes off. All departments won't worry at all about traveling. Family, work, and school have come before firefighting in every department I've ever been part of.
Although some departments teach everything in-house, most will send you to an academy where you will learn all the basic firefighting skills. The minimum commitment is usually that you make a certain number of business meetings and a certain number of trainings/drills, which are often scheduled weekly or biweekly. (Drill night is a great time for a prospective member to come down and learn what the department does, as well as meet the officers--find out when it is and drop by!) On top of drills, you may have to make a certain percentage of the calls, nominally so you learn and retain skills. I have been in a department that expected you to make 10% of their 800 yearly calls, and one that expected you to make 40% of their 120 calls. My current department has no percentage requirement.
There is almost always a probationary period for you--between six months and three years where you learn how to do everything. In this period, you may have more stringent requirements on your activity level and how you conduct yourself. You will likely be expected to do a lot of grunt work--throwing ladders and moving hoses--while you learn about operations, standard procedures, and basic skills. There may be some degree of hazing, but most departments are actively getting rid of this. You may not be allowed to get on the first piece of apparatus out of the station--instead, you might get on the second engine, so the scene is mostly controlled when you show up. You may not be allowed to drive the trucks or become an officer before your probation is up and you have proven yourself trustworthy. You may not be allowed to go into a burning building, even if you have completed basic fire school. Or you may have to have an officer on your crew if you go into a burning structure. None of these are absolutes across all the departments I've been in, just examples of restrictions on probationary members from department to department.
As far as monetary commitments go, I have never encountered dues greater than $50 a year. I have never seen anyone required to purchase their own essentials like turnout gear, even me, who is not a common size, even in a department that hasn't purchased a new truck since 1982. In the past five years, I have bought about $120 in non-essential equipment like personal escape rope, carabiners, a flashlight, and a small toolkit for truck work.
Fire school, if you are required to go, is a pretty big time commitment: twice-weekly evening classes and Saturday skill days for a semester, at least under the curriculum where I work. Most states require departments to have a certain percentage of nationally-certified firefighters in order to receive state grant funds, and the easiest way to get certified is fire school. A small number of departments still allow you to train on all your skills in-house and then just challenge the fire school final exam to get your cert.
The only other thing I can think of in terms of commitment is physical and emotional fitness. Interior firefighting is obviously demanding. Take a look at the CPAT that some departments use as an entrance requirement. Even if yours doesn't, I would recommend getting in shape before they send you to fire school. Live burn training is not the place to learn you get winded going up 3 flights of stairs in turnout gear and an air pack. Still, it is totally doable--at 5'3" and 135ish, I have never been asked to do anything I physically couldn't do, including carrying 75+ lbs of equipment on top of the 50 pounds of protective gear you will hump around. I have dragged someone down a smoke-filled hallway alone, thankfully it was only a medical emergency he had during training, not a real fire. I have discovered a guy who suffocated in the bathroom because of a fire. I have had a staircase on fire fall on me. If this isn't something you think you can handle now, don't worry--exterior firefighting can get you ready for interior firefighting, or help you get your decision straight.
As another resource, artlung makes a good point: there are a lot of reddit IAmAs about firefighting. I did a tangentially related one by request, about EMS and being a paramedic student.
A lot of these statements have been things that vary from department to department, but this is an absolute: if you come willing to learn and work hard, your department will totally appreciate you! Don't worry so much about knowing everything before you go down and talk to people. You'll learn a lot in training.
posted by skyl1n3 at 4:36 PM on January 12, 2011 [11 favorites]
Best answer: I was a volunteer firefighter for several years before I went career, and it was (obviously) a life-altering experience. My department had pretty stringent requirements for duty shifts and was not very accommodating to the idea of people having lives outside the firehouse, but most departments are likely to recognize the need to work with people's schedules and demands. It can still be a substantial time commitment to obtain the necessary training, which may either be done in-house or through a central academy. Departments and firehouses can vary widely in character and membership, so I'd also encourage you to call them up, let them know you're interested, and request a ride-along (or come observe a training event). You'll probably walk away with a good sense of whether you're a good fit. If not, try the next closest station... sometimes the difference can be like night and day.
In general, very few calls handled by Fire/EMS systems involve buildings erupting in flames, dramatic saves from ladders and all that. Medical emergencies comprise the lion's share of incidents for most departments. There are old salts who wish that weren't the case, but I can confidently state that many firefighters will go their entire career without making a "grab" from a fire, but if you run enough EMS calls, you will eventually be involved in saving someone's life. There is absolutely nothing I have ever encountered on this earth that feels like that experience.
Once upon a time, I was a web-designer and freelance consultant, and now I ride around on a fire engine and couldn't be happier about the change. So volunteering definitely worked for me. Give it a shot.
posted by itstheclamsname at 4:39 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
In general, very few calls handled by Fire/EMS systems involve buildings erupting in flames, dramatic saves from ladders and all that. Medical emergencies comprise the lion's share of incidents for most departments. There are old salts who wish that weren't the case, but I can confidently state that many firefighters will go their entire career without making a "grab" from a fire, but if you run enough EMS calls, you will eventually be involved in saving someone's life. There is absolutely nothing I have ever encountered on this earth that feels like that experience.
Once upon a time, I was a web-designer and freelance consultant, and now I ride around on a fire engine and couldn't be happier about the change. So volunteering definitely worked for me. Give it a shot.
posted by itstheclamsname at 4:39 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
I was going to suggest Michael Perry's Population: 485 as well. I'm reading it now.
posted by Sassyfras at 6:44 PM on January 12, 2011
posted by Sassyfras at 6:44 PM on January 12, 2011
When I lived in rural Tuscany I was a volunteer member of the local force. If you see a bush fire you go out and fight it anyway - it's not only the civil thing to do but it's just part of living in the country (and it could be your house next). The only difference was that by signing up, I was (a) insured while firefighting and (b) invited to the long, loud, wet Christmas dinner.
What always amused me was that, when I phoned in and said there's a fire near old Mr X's house, I'll meet you at the corner and show you the way, they would turn up in their shiny new Fiat jeep and start following my decrepit 500 up the dirt roads, but always, sooner or later, they would stop and park it and ask me for a ride because they didn't want to get its coachwork scratched any more.
posted by aqsakal at 11:27 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
What always amused me was that, when I phoned in and said there's a fire near old Mr X's house, I'll meet you at the corner and show you the way, they would turn up in their shiny new Fiat jeep and start following my decrepit 500 up the dirt roads, but always, sooner or later, they would stop and park it and ask me for a ride because they didn't want to get its coachwork scratched any more.
posted by aqsakal at 11:27 PM on January 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was a volunteer firefighter and first responder in rural Vermont, I miss it and it was awesome. If you work out of town, that's OK, it's probably expected that you'll go to calls when you're in the area and available, i.e. nights and weekends. They'll probably really love it if you stay around town during some holidays, when other people might be out of town. Some departments will rotate weekends just to make sure someone's around (though not always possible and in our case the fire dept the next town over was often also called out in case there weren't many people around).
Some departments will have a probationary period but a lot of fire departments are so low on active members, they will get you started right away so long as you don't do something horrible. Be prepared to go anytime, and I mean anytime, even if you've just gotten home from a long day of work. Don't expect to sleep in weekends or such; if you've committed, you're committed. We didn't have actual shifts; if you were around, you went out.
With regards to financial obligations; I wasn't expected to shell out any money for gear but if you're the last one who's joined up you're probably going to get old (used, but still good) gear. It's also a good idea to participate in all the fundraisers as that's usually one of the only ways volunteer fire departments can raise money for new trucks/gear/etc. Some departments will require you go to a Firefighting 101 type of class which is usually once a week over a period of several months; often times they will cover the cost.
Be prepared for some hard physical labor but you don't have to be sprinting up ladders. Holding onto a fully charged hose will give your arms a workout, that's for sure. Feel free to memail, I could tell stories for a really long time. :)
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:34 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Some departments will have a probationary period but a lot of fire departments are so low on active members, they will get you started right away so long as you don't do something horrible. Be prepared to go anytime, and I mean anytime, even if you've just gotten home from a long day of work. Don't expect to sleep in weekends or such; if you've committed, you're committed. We didn't have actual shifts; if you were around, you went out.
With regards to financial obligations; I wasn't expected to shell out any money for gear but if you're the last one who's joined up you're probably going to get old (used, but still good) gear. It's also a good idea to participate in all the fundraisers as that's usually one of the only ways volunteer fire departments can raise money for new trucks/gear/etc. Some departments will require you go to a Firefighting 101 type of class which is usually once a week over a period of several months; often times they will cover the cost.
Be prepared for some hard physical labor but you don't have to be sprinting up ladders. Holding onto a fully charged hose will give your arms a workout, that's for sure. Feel free to memail, I could tell stories for a really long time. :)
posted by Wuggie Norple at 6:34 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Agent Rocket,
I have been a volunteer firefighter and EMT since 1977. I have been a member of the Bar since 1984.
Do it!!!!
If you have any questions, you may contact me a johnscorsine@elpasotel.net.
John
posted by jscorsine at 9:21 PM on March 9, 2011
I have been a volunteer firefighter and EMT since 1977. I have been a member of the Bar since 1984.
Do it!!!!
If you have any questions, you may contact me a johnscorsine@elpasotel.net.
John
posted by jscorsine at 9:21 PM on March 9, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
My father was a volunteer fireman when I was a child, and in our town, that meant practicing with the hoses a couple of times a year. There was really no question of running into burning buildings or anything like that -- I suspect they were trained to stop the spread of fires, mainly.
Most the guys in town worked swing shift, so there'd be enough people available at whatever time a day if there was a fire, but most of the guys in town also worked at one of two sawmills, and the mills would likely have let guys go fight fire if there was a big one where they were really needed.
Most of the guys in town who were in decent physical shape were part of the VFD. It was just a thing everyone that fit the profile did. I don't think there was a tryout or anything of the sort.
After we left town, they got some additional funding for additional equipment and started to have more regular training, so may also have had a higher degree of professionalism.
I'm familiar with other VFDs, though, where things are much more structured, and they're very much like an actual FD, except they all have day jobs.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:34 PM on January 12, 2011