Volunteer Firefighter/etc?

[homeslice]

Do we have any volunteer firefighters on the board? If so, do you enjoy it? I've noticed on my tax return a question about being one... Made me curious.

I've been with the Red Cross for about two years now and do not personally care for the way things are done. I guess I'm just looking for another place to volunteer. I have had my application in for reservist, but they aren't getting enough to run a reserve academy.

 

[FD807]

I've been doin it for about 13 years and love it. The hours can be rough though.

 

[krayzkajun]

ive been a volunteer FF for 8years! was a paid one for 3years. now im the police and still a volunteer ff. i love it

 

[homeslice]

I've been doin it for about 13 years and love it. The hours can be rough though.

Thanks for responding. The hours I'm guessing you mean responding to alarms. All hours of the night, etc. Is it true that volunteer fire departments can not enter burning buildings?

 

[tso]

Something like 80% of all firefighters are Volunteer firefighters. Yes they do enter burning buildings. Much of the hours involved is in the initial training. Depending on the department, the basic truing can be 600 hours or more.

Started as a volunteer in 1982, ended up making a career out of it. Continued to volunteer, mostly training firefighters the last few years.

You will have to have an understanding family, MANY family plans were changed on the spur of the moment over the years.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Good luck,

Steve

 

[sraacke]

Some volunteer depts are great, well run organizations where you will get good training and have lots of opportunity to learn the trade. Others are disfunctional wrecks which are more social club than fire department. I volunteered for several years and eventually moved into a paid position which I eventually left for a job working as an EMT for Citadel Security at the local chemical plants. It paid better than my city FF job did and I had set hours too which is something the volunteer dept sure didn't have. You can get paged out at any time.

 

[FD807]

Thanks for responding. The hours I'm guessing you mean responding to alarms. All hours of the night, etc. Is it true that volunteer fire departments can not enter burning buildings?

Uh that is not true I've been in two departments and been in multiple structure fires . The first department I was with required that you get your Firefighter 1 certification before you were allowed to go inside though. Yes I mean responding to calls the pager can go off anytime there have been nights when I leave my house at 10pm and not return home until 8am in the morning , it is truly a calling not everyone can do it you will see things you've never seen before and never want to see again. There are no guarantees when I leave my house to go to a fire I don't know if I'm coming home again . People at work ask me why I do it for nothing but it's not for nothing I do it because I can and not everyone can do what we do .

 

[JBE]

Used to be a Safety Officer for a local VFD...Unfortunately local and station politics drove me away after a few years...

 

[homeslice]

Used to be a Safety Officer for a local VFD...Unfortunately local and station politics drove me away after a few years...

This is my problem with the ARC as well.

600 hours of training for volunteer work seems to really turn me off, but I will look into it. My local FD station seems rather cliquish and more of a social group than a department.

 

[sraacke]

Used to be a Safety Officer for a local VFD...Unfortunately local and station politics drove me away after a few years...

Same here.

My local FD station seems rather cliquish and more of a social group than a department.

Run, don't walk, away.

 

[firefighter9158]

Been one since 1976, Still Love It ! Hence my screen name & Pic.. Note-I was fighting a church fire one night,when the building backdrafted, blew me and my partner 150' out of the building into the courtyard !! If you like that kind of excitement, Go for it ! It's a BLAST (pun intended !) lol