Everyone who wants to be a firefighter has to train. Those who just want the title are a bunch of idiots. In my dept if you miss 6 maintaince nights and 6 training nights then they get a letter, if they do not respond then they are considered gone.
the one thing here i do like (here on the vol station im on) is our training we have 2 fire meetings a month 1 emt training class a month and 1 board meeting we also have some extra class some times if for example we have extrication tools class we might hold it 2 diff times that month(both classes are the same) you dont use a extrication toolssames goes for all train from the basics to the live burns we also have it you have to make at least half the req meetings and have at least a 1403 cert. to even work the in side of a house fire or even work and where you have to put on an air pack thats not counting the training you have to have if your an emt.
On the subject of paid or vol. here we take the same training classes here together sometimes i have a lot of friends that are both some of use had got together one night and a person asked what was the differance between a paid firefighter and a vol. firefighter a paid firefighter told her nothing we do the same job but i get paid he does'nt
Permalink Reply by Trey on March 26, 2008 at 12:08pm
I am relatively new with the fire service but I can speak about this subject. At our fire department we have just a bare minimum of volunteers. I would say out of our 6-8 volunteers about 5 care about what they are doing. As for myself because I am a volunteer, I take it all serious in hopes of one day I will be a paid fire fighter of a department. When others go about chatting in class while the instructor way up front is speaking I keep my attention on the instructor. Even when the day comes that I am hired I will continue to take my training seriously.
I can't imagine why anyone would want to be apart of the fire/emergency services without training. Anyone who does it just for the title deserves a pat on the back for being a grade "A" dummy. Our department has the same issue with getting volunteers and sometimes paid members to show up for drills. I just keep it in my mind if I continue to do good and focus on training, one day I will have that guy's job who did not appreciate learning the fundamentals of his job.
Again, training should always be took seriously. One never knows when it could save property, time, a person's life, or even your own life.
I agree we acually have a guy that will outright tell you that he doesn't need to come to training because he knows all he has to know. What a peckerhead.
always remember whether vol or paid once u take on the responsibility of firefighter,first responder u are saving the same life paid or not.but im very happy u are looking to be fulltime.it takes a special person who only wants to do it always.when i train firefighters i have some that want to be on shift work paid.but i have always been vol and will die vol.people in the non paid areas need help to.
In our Department it got much easier with our Chief......."If you don't train then you keep your ass off the truck"......Pure and simple and leaves little room for misinterpretation....Last thing he wants to do is to go to someones home and have to tell a wife/mother that their son/husband/daughter won't be coming home.....Stay safe and act as the military does.....preach the addage "You fight as you train" Train hard and fight hard......Stay safe all.............Paul