Volunteer Firefighting

[Floppyman]

Hi all,

In my upper 20's now I've started to look for different opportunities to help out in the community through volunteering. Volunteer firefighting has especially peaked my interest. Wanted to reach out and see if anyone on these boards was a volunteer firefighter or knew any. If so, what can you tell me about the training process and general time commitment?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[David M]

Good for you! I think it is a great idea for giving to your community.

[SARGE]

Ones I know about are in small towns of course. One of them I maintained all the phone lines (about 20), one going to each person. Most of the guys worked regular jobs so there was never that many actually available daytimes. That was Sunnyvale, Texas. Emory, Texas actually has enough volunteers to have 2 crews, a day and night. Your best bet is talk to the folks. I'm assuming you're referring to a small town, right?

[juppy]

My mom and brother used to be on a small volunteer unit years ago. Not much to tell really. The fires/emergencies always seem to happen right when you're in the middle of doing something else (eating a meal, working on your car, asleep in the middle of the night, etc). That's just a part of it though, being ready to go at all times, no matter when that time is (granted, they weren't expected to leave their regular daytime jobs....I meant any other time that they weren't at work).

As for the time commitment, it was a real small town they volunteered for, so not a whole lot of call outs....wasn't like an every night thing....heck, wasn't usually even a once a week thing. Biggest time commitment was the meetings and the training. They wanted them to take the schooling to at least become a certified First Responder in case they had to work a car accident scene or whatnot and there were no EMTs on the scene first. So, really, from what I remember, their's was more time spent doing meetings and schooling than actual firefighting and rescue work. If it's a larger/more populated area that you're talking about, your experience may be different.

[trulad]

I have been a Volunteer FireFighter since 1955 and a Pennsylvania State Fire Academy Instructor for 48 years. In PA to be certified as an "Interior Firefighter" requires completion of 166 hours of "Essentials of Firefighting. It is a combination of classroom lecture and practical skills practice. To be certified all skills must be performed such as SCBA(breathing apparatus),Ladders & ladder rescue,hoseline advancement,Pump connections,and a host of other skills. That being said, it is obvious you need to be in good physical condition. I loved being a Firefighter(17 years as Chief) as there is no better feeling than that of helping others. I loved being an Instructor because I get to work with the best men and women in the world,Those that give so much of themselves to help others. THANK YOU for wanting to volunteer and as I always say, ALL can help even if you are not physically fit for strenuose duty. We have plenty of other work to be done. Congratulations and good luck.