About Volunteer Firefighters

Volunteer firefighters belong to the National Volunteer Fire Council. In the United States, 73 percent of all firefighters are actually volunteers and most work for a local firehouse, sometimes on their own and sometimes alongside paid career firefighters, performing back-up duties when other officials are out in training or in need of help.

Features

While career firefighters must undergo specific fire and hazardous material training, volunteer firefighters will receive training only if their local authority has established a budget and system for it. In many cases, training is done on-the-job, with older firefighters teaching "rookies" how to deal with equipment, operate their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), handle hydraulic rescue tools and operate a thermal imaging camera. Specialty training may also vary depending on local conditions, with people in California learning to deal with forest fires and those near rivers and rapids learning to work with technical and swift water rescue.

Function

Aside from fire control, volunteer firefighters also have other duties, including helping arson investigations, emergency medical response, fire safety education, fundraising, disaster relief and equipment maintenance.

Types

Some volunteer firefighters are actually on-call firefighters. This means they are only called into work if a major fire or catastrophe occurs or if all the career firefighters are engaged in a different issue and a new fire erupts. On-call firefighters are often paid for their services. They join the force on a volunteer basis and undergo no official training, but they are required to put in time on other duties that would benefit the firehouse, such as fundraising.

Benefits

While volunteer firefighters do not earn a salary, they are often entitled to insurance and worker's compensation should they become injured while on duty. Volunteer fire stations are fully funded from a variety of sources. Most money comes from the town or city government, with a close second being federal grants and assistance from private parties or organizations. Small volunteer stations may depend on exchanges or hand-me-downs from larger stations in order to restock their supplies. Because of this, volunteer firefighters may not have full equipment available while on duty.

Expert Insight

In small towns, volunteer firefighters may not need to be present at the firehouse at any given time but instead carry an emergency-call radio where they can be reached if a fire or an emergency ensues. As they are contacted, they would either congregate at the station or drive on their own to the site and join the truck and the other volunteers.

Resources

• National Volunteer Fire Council