What is Your Minimum Age for Membership?

With the recent death of 17 year old Roy Smith III, a volunteer firefighter for McGayhesville and Shenandoah, VA, it raises the question of minimum age for full membership on fire departments.
So, what are some of the MINIMUM requirements for membership, including the age of the candidate?
And please take a moment to remember this young man whose dream was to work for FDNY.
TCSS.
Art

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Permalink Reply by Katie Brisbin on March 30, 2009 at 1:36pm

join at 14 to be a junior then firefighter at 18.

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Permalink Reply by Tony P on April 3, 2009 at 6:04am

As this has resurfaced, I'll comment again. In his last comment Art was talking about 18 seeming to be the 'age', that nobody had stated a lower age. But I had - 16 is the age here for a person to become a probationary senior member of a volunteer Fire Brigade (in Victoria, I don't know about other states). I won't talk about juniors because here they are just that, 'juniors', not firefighters. They cannot turn out to a firecall.

Irresponsible? Maybe in some eyes. We don't seem to have had a problem with it. The State law we operate under allows it to happen, we couldn't stop anyone by saying 'too young' anyway. Mind you, under 18 yo's can't even drive to the Station for a call, let alone drive a fire truck. FRS rules are worded so that that a person under the age of 21 cannot drive lights and sirens at all.

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Permalink Reply by FIRE BEAR on April 3, 2009 at 6:21am

ours is 18 to join and 21 to drive

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Permalink Reply by Dennis Brown on April 3, 2009 at 7:32am

Our department you can join at 16 as jr.ff but can not do active firefighting until 18 and pass ff-1
And my thoughts & prayers go out to this young mans family and his department