Volunteer Firefighter

[eoliss]

I would like to know if anyone here is a firefighter or has close friends/family who are. I would like to hear about any experiences, stories, or opinions that you have.

How many days/shifts per week do you work? What is your time like when on duty? What was it that drew you into doing this type of work? How long have you been doing it and how long do you see yourself working? If you have at least a somewhat serious relationship or have a family, how much stress does firefighting put on you and/or your family?

Responses to any of these questions and sharing your stories and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dmcowen674]

I would like to know if anyone here is a firefighter or has close friends/family who are. I would like to hear about any experiences, stories, or opinions that you have.

How many days/shifts per week do you work? What is your time like when on duty? What was it that drew you into doing this type of work? How long have you been doing it and how long do you see yourself working? If you have at least a somewhat serious relationship or have a family, how much stress does firefighting put on you and/or your family?

Responses to any of these questions and sharing your stories and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I was on Long Island for 8 years

Most of New York is Volunteer Fireman except New York City of course. Many Depts have gone to a hybrid system of half paid half Volunteer in the highly populated areas due to so many people having to have two jobs to survive now.

 

[cardiac]

I am a full-time, paid firefighter/paramedic for a municipal department in Indiana, not a volunteer. I won't go into stories or experiences.

You need to be committed to the job 24/7, and expect to see the dark side of folks, because you will. I went into this 28 years ago thinking how cool of a job it would be, and gee, I can help out my fellow man. Well, over the years, you see some pretty horrific shit. You also witness some miracles, and also become part of the best brotherhood in the world. I wouldn't trade what I have done for the past 28 years for anything, but a different career would have been easier on me both physically and mentally.

I have also been married almost 23 years, but it does take a special woman to put up with it. She needs to understand that when you get off shift and want to be left alone, to just do so. When you want to talk at 3am, then lets talk about it. Communications in the marriage of a firefighter goes a long way, just as in any other marriage. I also have 2 sons, and I spend all my free time with them. (I work part-time in the local emergency room, which doesn't help my cynical side).

We work 24 hours on duty and 48 off, which works out to a 54 hour work week over the year. You don't make enough money for what you have to do. We train a lot, both in fire skills and EMS, and average 10 calls per shift, so we do not sit around and play pinochle like the public thinks. We do have down time, and get to sleep at night, but it is rare that I get more than 4-5 hours of sleep in that 24 hours. I am 50 years old, and it is taking it's toll on me physically. (I can still outwork a kid 1/2 my age). I'm gonna retire in a few more years.

If you are thinking of a career in this field, volunteer somewhere first. Go to EMT school and see if you like that.

If you don't mind being puked on, endangered during a domestic fight, bled on by someone with Hepatitis C/AIDS/HIV, running into a burning building when the rats are running OUT, telling an 80 year old woman her husband of 60 years is dead, carrying a 2 year old drowning victim to your ambulance KNOWING he/she isn't going to survive. etc, etc., etc... then this career could be for you And that could be all in one shift.

Bob

 

[Zebo]

Thanks for you service cardiac you sound like a cool dude.

 

[Modular]

I'm actually just training for my CPAT that I'm taking next Saturday. I'm interested as hell in this job. I know the market is tough, but there are jobs out there to be had.

 

[cardiac]

Thanks, Zebo, I appreciate it very much. Modular, just remember to pace yourself during your CPAT.

The market is tough, but if you are persistent, you'll get in somewhere. Make yourself more marketable; get your EMT cert, get your paramedic cert, take some hazmat classes.....

Good luck

 

[DrPizza]

In my area, the volunteer firemen are more experienced, better trained, and more dedicated than the paid firemen in the one department in the area that has a paid crew.

 

[Jumpem]

Around here at least, you don't work "shifts". You have a pager, and when it goes off you head to the firehouse if you're available.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

I am a full-time, paid firefighter/paramedic for a municipal department in Indiana, not a volunteer. I won't go into stories or experiences.

You need to be committed to the job 24/7, and expect to see the dark side of folks, because you will. I went into this 28 years ago thinking how cool of a job it would be, and gee, I can help out my fellow man. Well, over the years, you see some pretty horrific shit. You also witness some miracles, and also become part of the best brotherhood in the world. I wouldn't trade what I have done for the past 28 years for anything, but a different career would have been easier on me both physically and mentally.

I have also been married almost 23 years, but it does take a special woman to put up with it. She needs to understand that when you get off shift and want to be left alone, to just do so. When you want to talk at 3am, then lets talk about it. Communications in the marriage of a firefighter goes a long way, just as in any other marriage. I also have 2 sons, and I spend all my free time with them. (I work part-time in the local emergency room, which doesn't help my cynical side).

We work 24 hours on duty and 48 off, which works out to a 54 hour work week over the year. You don't make enough money for what you have to do. We train a lot, both in fire skills and EMS, and average 10 calls per shift, so we do not sit around and play pinochle like the public thinks. We do have down time, and get to sleep at night, but it is rare that I get more than 4-5 hours of sleep in that 24 hours. I am 50 years old, and it is taking it's toll on me physically. (I can still outwork a kid 1/2 my age). I'm gonna retire in a few more years.

If you are thinking of a career in this field, volunteer somewhere first. Go to EMT school and see if you like that.

If you don't mind being puked on, endangered during a domestic fight, bled on by someone with Hepatitis C/AIDS/HIV, running into a burning building when the rats are running OUT, telling an 80 year old woman her husband of 60 years is dead, carrying a 2 year old drowning victim to your ambulance KNOWING he/she isn't going to survive. etc, etc., etc... then this career could be for you And that could be all in one shift.

Bob

Cardiac, thanks for the insight.

I hear awfully similar experiences about being a police officer, which is what I'm going for at this moment. Sounds rough. Did you get married before or after the career started?

 

[dmcowen674]

Hey Cardiac

I appreciate the comments

I transferred out of the Rescue Company simply because it wore on me having so many people I grew up with dying in my face.

Of course being in the Engine Company has some pretty horrific experiences as well. I'll never the night of the first day I had to go to class at College.

It was a working house fire, up on the second floor was behind the nozzle guy when all of a sudden he puked in his mask. He turned around and pointed down. We were walking on two kids that were blackened to a crisp and blended in with all the debris on the floor.

Downstairs we found the father in the bathtub dead with foam coming out of his mouth from his lungs getting fried inhaling the superheated smoke.

When I got to school that morning I just sat on the steps for good long while gathering my composure.

 

[Scouzer]

Here in my smallish city (over 20,000 people) we have a volunteer only fire department. I can't tell you anything about it other than to echo Jumpem: No shifts. They put out the call on the radios and whoever is available responds. It's fucking dangerous too, I really don't like how they operate. They give all the guys these little red blinker lights (no sirens) to put on their personal vehicles when they're responding to a fire. They blow through town at 100km/h on their way to calls, pretty damn dangerous if you ask me.

Anyway, even though they don't have shifts they do have minimum commitment requirements. It's something like 2 days a month minimum for training, minimum of 5 calls a month responded to, stuff like that. But they pay a small amount of money and also pay for your training.

I couldn't do it... the few experiences shared in this thread are disturbing enough.

 

[Adrenaline]

My dad was a fireman / fire instructor for 22.5 years in the Air Force. He loved it but he has some stories from stuff he has seen. I remember visiting him in Denver and while we were at the station, the bell rang. Right around the corner some guy was painting while on an aluminum ladder and it fell into an electrical wire. The guy was burnt to a crisp. He is a fire inspector now for a state and enjoys his job.

Firemen around here work 24 on and 48 off like Cardiac's schedule. I have heard even more stories from them about stuff they see.

 

[cardiac]

Don't get me wrong....the job is extremely rewarding too. I guess that's what makes it kinda tough. You are like a bipolar-manic depressive as you go from saving someone's life to a couple hours later scraping someone off the interstate after rear-ending a truck in traffic while riding a crotch rocket with no helmet. I cover a section of I-65 here in NW Indiana and there is a lot of accidents there.

Scolzpdx, I met my wife through her brother, who was a good friend of mine, and he was a cop (Now retired after 30 years) at the time. We were married after I had been on the job for 4-5 years. She knew what she was getting into...

Dr Pizza, there are a few departments around here that are volunteer and do a great job. It takes a huge commitment.

dmcowen674, I do sympathize with ya brother. Those are the absolute worst that there is, bar none. I am also one of the departments arson investigators, and I hate doing the fatalities. Thank the Lord we don't have very many.

Adrenaline, I had one similar to that about 10 years ago. A guy was getting ready to shingle his roof when he tried to take down his TV antenna, which was on a 10' mast. Well, he got it loose, swung it around right into the utility lines. Blew the boots right off his feet......

Keep it safe out there guys....

Bob

 

[BoomerD]

I spent a couple of years on the volunteer fire department in a couple of the tiny towns we lived in for a while. This was in Eastern Washington, so the majority of our work was putting out fires in wheat fields...but like any large grass fire, they can be treacherous and change direction in a heartbeat. We lost a new (to us) engine when that happened to us one afternoon. Fortunately, the crew got out safely, but "POOF" a fire engine gone...> < that quick.

I never did have to deal with any structure fires, but got called out to help the rescue squad a few times with bad car wrecks. This was in the 70's when seat belts weren't required...and very few people used them. A couple of times, I got the duty of scraping up what was left of little kids...<shudder>

My hat's off to those fine men & women who are firefighters. The job is much tougher than it looks like.

 

[skyking]

No experience myself, but my sister's husband was a fireman after getting out of the Army in '71.
In 1975 he was fighting an arson fire in an old theater building, and it started to go. He ran out but the fancy old stonework fell out as the brick structure fell in, and it got him clear out past the curb. He was crushed and paralyzed.
His story is the exception, but that is what can happen out there. The arsonist was never caught on that fire.