Why Join a Volunteer Fire/EMS Company?

• Have you ever heard a siren or seen a fire engine and wondered what was happening?
• Have you ever witnessed or come upon a motor vehicle accident and wished you could help?
• Have you been there when someone was stricken with sudden illness and wanted to assist?
• Are you looking for new lifelong friendships, challenges, and rewards?
• Do you want to become involved in your community?
• Are you looking to supplement your retirement?

Regardless of individual reasons, the truth is that we’re all here to achieve the same mission…to make a positive impact on our community and help our friends, neighbors, and guests in a time of need.

Joining a volunteer fire/EMS company is one of the most diverse and challenging things you can do. No two calls are the same! There are so many great people you meet every shift. It is this diversity that attracts men and women to join our ranks. Volunteering can mean many things to different people:

• Action-oriented people enjoy the excitement and adrenaline rush that emergency services has to offer.
• Its an exciting alternative to sitting behind a desk during the day – allowing people to drive a fire truck at night and respond to emergency calls.
• Many like the feeling they get when they help people in their time of need.
• Some feel it’s their obligation to serve the community.
• Yet others just want to belong to the team and part of a close fire/EMS family.

Whatever motivates you to volunteer – everyone gains the self-satisfaction of being at their best when others are dealing with what is often the worst that life has to offer.

Imagine having to prepare yourself to cope with situations that range from structure fires to childbirth to auto accidents with entrapment to heart attacks to almost any imaginable emergency in between. This diversity is coupled with the fact that these skills may be needed at any time of the day or night, seven days a week, in any kind of weather, and very often under potentially stressful and emotional circumstances. Yet these same factors contribute to our profession being so personally rewarding.

We realize and understand that being a firefighter/EMT is not for everyone, but we do believe that volunteering can be. There is plenty of work to be done on or behind the scenes and the personal rewards and satisfaction received from what we do is often beyond description. There is the sense of accomplishment when you can save someone’s home and belongings from a disaster, overwhelming joy when someone is brought back from a cardiac event, compassion for accident victims, and fulfillment from doing public safety events.

The bottom line in our business is measured by the loss of life, pain and suffering, and the property damage we have can help prevent and reduce. Volunteering as a firefighter/EMT is one of the most important and rewarding decisions you may make. We hope that you give this decision the time and serious consideration it deserves and decide to join our ranks.