What does a Volunteer Firefighter do?

 Extinguish fires of all types (structure, vehicle, and brush/wild land. 

 Provide “first responder” emergency medical care to the sick and injured.  

 Perform Search and Rescue for missing and trapped occupants.  

 Respond to traffic collisions and perform technical rescue.  ·        

 Respond to hazardous materials incidents.·         

Clean and maintain fire apparatus/equipment and stations.·         

Training (your education never ends)          

Public Education.  As a firefighter you will be involved with educating the public in fire and home safety.

What does it take to be a Firefighter?

Your hours will be filled with responding to emergency incidents, training, maintenance of the trucks and station, and preparation for the next incident. You may have some questions about being a Volunteer Firefighter. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions. 

·         How much training does it take to become a Volunteer Firefighter? 

·         How much time will I have to commit to the department?

·         What are the physical demands on a Volunteer Firefighter? 

·         What physical and mental stresses does a Volunteer Firefighter endure?

TRAINING:

The initial training will take some 100 hours to complete. This initial training must be completed before you will be allowed to respond to an emergency response. During your initial (and subsequent) training you will spend time learning how to fight fires, provide emergency medical care, extricate people who are trapped in their motor vehicles and learn to assist in mitigating hazardous materials incidents. 

TIME:

After you initial training you will be required to attend at least 30% of the total night and weekend calls that your station is dispatched to (this time may vary by station). In addition you must attend at least 50% of the training/meeting nights. The training/meeting nights are each Monday evening and last approx. 2 hours (excluding holidays).

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands on the body of a firefighter are astronomical. The average weight of gear a firefighter wears is 50lbs. The average body core temperature of a firefighter goes from a normal 98.6 to 104 degrees after performing a normal workload at a fire scene. Firefighting requires you to work with hand tools and equipment (usually in adverse conditions). The normal workload at a fire would be the equivalent of running a 1.5-mile stretch without stopping.

STRESS:

Stress plays a major role in a firefighter’s life. Stress affects a firefighter in the form of short term and long-term stress. Some examples of this stress are: Your family may not understand you having to leave to respond to a call at a moments notice. Also firefighters have to perform immediately (there is no warm up time). As a Firefighter you will be exposed to constant hazards on every emergency call. 

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