What do I need to know about volunteering for my local Fire or EMS agency?

Rhode Island Southern League Fire Safety Specialist Jane Perkins offers some advice about what you need to know about volunteering for your local fire & EMS agency in her monthly columns in The Westerly Sun entitled "Ask a Firefighter..." Check out some of her articles below about volunteering for your local fire or EMS Agency today!

Who are the volunteer firefighters in my community?

Many residents who stop by their local fire stations are surprised to discover how many different people serve as volunteer firefighters.  You may be just as surprised to learn who the volunteer firefighters are in your community.  The departments who represent the Rhode Island Southern Firefighters League have volunteers who are state senators and owners of large manufacturing companies, commercial airline pilots and boat captains, mechanics and engineers, active duty and reserve members of the Armed Forces, dentists and doctors, bankers and teachers, sheriffs, police officers, and park rangers.  They are also parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Most importantly, they are your neighbors who have a passion for helping others.  If you have a desire to serve your community, you will find that your local volunteer fire department will provide you with one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

According to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), volunteers make up more than 70% of the firefighters in the United States.  There are more than 1,100,000 firefighters across the country, and nearly 815,000 of them are volunteers.  The NVFC reports that almost 20,000 of the nearly 30,000 fire departments in the country are completely staffed by volunteers with an additional 5,000 departments that are predominantly volunteer organizations. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the number of volunteers in the United States has decreased 15% since 1984, yet the call volume has increased by nearly 300%, leaving volunteer fire departments in need of additional volunteers.

Local fire department and firefighter data aligns with the national statistics.  The majority of fire departments within Washington County in Rhode Island and New London County in Connecticut are primarily operated by volunteer firefighters and they are always searching for new volunteers.    Although volunteer firefighters receive little to no monetary compensation for their efforts, the chance to aid and serve the community is an extremely fulfilling experience.

Volunteers invest a large amount of time serving their communities and often during inconvenient hours.  Time commitments include operational responses (often at a moment’s notice), training, vehicle and station maintenance, and various administrative duties. As a professional volunteer firefighter, you will need to continue to commit the time and the effort that it takes to attend training on a regular basis and respond to emergency calls. You simply cannot expect to walk into a volunteer firehouse and be ready to do the job.

Becoming a volunteer firefighter requires many hours of initial training and a strong, ongoing dedication. The NVFC recommends all volunteer fire department personnel attain a level of training that meets or exceeds the National Fire Protection Association’s Standard 1001: Firefighter Professional Qualifications.  This same standard is commonly used to train paid firefighters.  Since most volunteer fire departments ask you to devote a certain amount of time and service, you need to make sure you have the time in your schedule and the flexibility to make it work.

Volunteer firefighters need to be prepared for emergency situations that may be both mentally challenging and physically engaging.  In addition to extinguishing and administering first aid, emergency duties also include rescuing victims from cars or buildings, carrying fire hoses up stairs or ladders, and breaking down doors. Volunteer firefighters also perform non-emergency tasks on a daily basis.  Those duties include planning and implementing fire prevention activities and community risk reduction programs.  They are also responsible for various routine tasks around the firehouse, such as maintaining the building facilities and emergency vehicles and giving firehouse tours.  Remember, not everyone needs to fight the fires! There are many administrative and support roles that need to be filled to keep a volunteer fire department operating smoothly.  

Once you determine that you have the time and the desire to make the commitment, contact your local fire department by calling their non-emergency phone number, e-mailing them through their website, or visiting the station and speaking to the volunteers.  Although each fire department may have slightly different application and review processes, they all generally require the same steps. Once you make contact with a fire department and ensure your expectations are similar to theirs, you will need to complete an application, submit to a background check, meet with a screening committee, undergo a physical exam, and attend a meeting to meet the other firefighters.

The key to being a successful volunteer firefighter is to focus on your training. You may be referred to as a volunteer, but the citizens in your community will expect you to be professional, fully trained, highly skilled, and completely prepared to handle any emergency. If you still have dreams of fighting fires and protecting your community, consider becoming a volunteer firefighter. Your professional skills, background knowledge, and willingness to help, will make you a valued member of any department.

What does it take to join one of the local volunteer fire departments?

Volunteer firefighters are always needed! The National Volunteer Fire Council reports that volunteers make up more than seventy percent of the firefighters in the United States. Across the country, there are approximately eight hundred thousand volunteer firefighters. Of the total 30,165 fire departments in the country, 25,956 are all volunteer or mostly volunteer. The communities that are served by volunteer firefighters depend on them to be the first line of defense for many types of emergencies including fires, emergency medical calls, water and ice rescue calls, natural disasters, and hazardous materials incidents.

Before making the decision to join a volunteer fire department, make sure that you are ready to make the time commitment. Making the decision to become a volunteer firefighter should not made without considering the large amount of time it will require. Becoming a volunteer firefighter requires hundreds of hours of initial training and a strong, ongoing commitment. Since most volunteer fire departments ask you to devote a minimum amount of time and service, you need to make sure you have the time in your schedule and the flexibility to make it work.

Once you determine that you have the time and the desire to make the commitment, you can contact your local fire department by calling their non-emergency phone number, by e-mailing them through their websites, or by visiting the stations and speaking to the volunteers. Although not all departments in the area rely on volunteers, the majority of fire departments within Washington County in Rhode Island and within New London County in Connecticut are primarily served by volunteer fire departments and are always searching for new volunteers.

Although each fire department may have slightly different application and review processes, they all generally require the same steps. Once you make contact with a fire department and ensure your expectations are similar to theirs, you will need to complete an application, submit to a background check, meet with an investigation and screening committee, undergo a physical screening exam, and attend a meeting or training to meet the other firefighters.

Keep in mind that becoming a member of a volunteer fire department is much more than preparing to fight fires. There are many other functions and responsibilities within the department that requires your help, such as maintaining and cleaning equipment, cleaning and washing fire trucks, and performing all of the tasks associated with running a small business. Remember, not everyone needs to fight the fires! There are many non-fire administrative and support roles that need to be filled to keep a volunteer fire department operating smoothly.

Once you are officially accepted into the department as a probationary member, you will enter into a lengthy training process. The length of these programs varies, but most firefighters are required to take a certification course approved by the state fire academy. The length extent of the training can vary by state and the level of certification required and may take as much as six months of attending night classes two to three days per week.

As a professional volunteer firefighter, you will need to continue to commit the time and the effort that it takes to attend training on a regular basis and respond to emergency calls. You simply cannot expect to walk into a volunteer firehouse and be ready to do the job. The key is to focus on your training. You may be referred to as a volunteer, but the citizens in your community will expect you to be professional, fully trained, highly skilled, and completely prepared to handle any emergency.

Volunteer firefighters come from all walks of life, and are all shapes, sizes, and ages. They are construction workers, small business owners, business executives, nurses, doctors, and lawyers. If you have a desire to serve, most fire departments have a place for you. If you choose to become involved with your local volunteer fire department, you will find that it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

How can local fire departments recruit more women into the fire service?

Recently a family with small children visited my firehouse.  The small girl in the family was amazed to see two women in the station during her visit and was very surprised to learn that we were the firefighters on duty.  She told us she didn’t even know that women could be firefighters.  Unfortunately, this little girl’s reaction is not at all unusual. Today in the United States, women account for only about 7% of all firefighters.  That means that most girls have never seen a woman who is a firefighter.

The first female firefighter on record dates back to 1818.  Molly Williams worked for Benjamin Aymar, a New York City businessman and volunteer firefighter in Oceanus Engine Company No. 11.  During the Blizzard of 1818, male firefighters were scarce due to an influenza outbreak.  When an emergency call came in, Molly didn’t think twice about ditching her apron and dress and taking her place with the men on the dragropes.  That night, Molly helped pull the pumper to the fire through the deep snow. 

Despite Molly’s firefighting skills and ambition, it took 159 years for women to be permitted to apply for jobs as firefighters in New York City.  Even though women could apply in 1977, it wasn’t until 1982 that New York City hired its first paid female firefighter.

Today, women make up just over half of the U.S. population but comprise only a small percentage of the fire service.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are 1.6 million firefighters in the US, but only 110,000 are women. New research by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) shows that women have as much interest in becoming a volunteer emergency responder as men.  So why aren’t there more women fighting fires?

For many girls, becoming a volunteer firefighter may just seem impossible.  It is something that these girls have never considered.  It’s not because they would not want the job, or because they could not do it well.  With so few females in the fire service, it is more likely that young girls don’t even know that the firefighting is an option for them. Instead, it is simply because they cannot imagine themselves in that position, because they have not seen a female firefighter.

An exception to these statistics is the Frametown Volunteer Fire Department in Braxton County, West Virginia. Women make up almost two-thirds of the membership, and include Chief Angie Short.  Understanding the story of the department with a majority female membership could be one of the crucial turning points for increasing volunteerism in the U. S. fire service.  Frametown has established success by closing the gender gap because of their welcoming, collaborative, and inclusive culture.

Recently, I had the chance to talk with Lisa Evans, a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the West Newbury and Groveland Fire Departments in Massachusetts.  With 20% of the membership being women, the Groveland Fire Department far exceeds the State average. Lisa spoke about the recruitment and retention of women in the fire service at the New England Small Town Fire Chiefs training seminar presented by the New England Volunteer Fire and EMS Coalition and hosted by the Rhode Island Southern Firefighters League. The theme of Lisa’s presentation to the 51 current and future chiefs in attendance, including 4 women, was about diversity and inclusivity. 

According to Lisa, the best way for a department to be successful is to be inclusive and to reach out to different cultural groups in the community. Lisa explained that the makeup of every organization should reflect that of the community. She said that diversity is a good goal to have, but it you want to maintain it, you need to be inclusive. Lisa also shared that adding women to the roster also comes with benefits.  Membership diversity not only creates a team that mirrors the demographics of the organization’s community, but for the volunteer fire service it offers a new group of potential recruits.

Keep in mind there is no such thing as a typical female firefighter.  Just like male firefighters, women firefighters come from all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities and have a broad range of valuable technical and interpersonal skills.  What female firefighters do have in common with their male counterparts, however, is their dedication to their work and their commitment to serving their communities through the fire service.

Your local fire departments encourage females to join.  They want females to join.  They need females to join.   These fire departments need more role models and leaders with whom young females can identify.  The underlying belief is that if a child can see females driving firetrucks, extinguishing fires, pumping fire apparatus, and teaching fire safety in her community, she can see the profession as a real option for her. 

These columns were written by Jane Perkins, Fire Safety Specialist for the Rhode Island Southern Firefighters League and Captain of the Watch Hill Fire Department. If you would like to see a question answered in this column, please e-mail her at askafirefighter@yahoo.com.