I wrote this a couple of years ago to thank our community for thier support after a fund raiser we had. It seems that since then our training has gotten even more important and more involved. There are things out there that people are doing or what stuff is made out of that put our lives in more danger than ever before. I want to remind everyone how important it is to :
Train like your life depends on it! BECAUSE IT DOES!
Treat every incident as the one that might kill you.
Train hard, be safe, be well, be careful and may God bless us ALL!!

These are what I like to call my B,L,U,R,P,S of training

Be proactive with training and firefighter safety.

Learn something new everyday.

Understand and be great at the basics before everything else oryou may not survive long enough to see everything else.

Realize, train for and equip yourself for the fact that every time you are engaged in firefighting, you or your partner may get hurt.

Pay attention!

Start training for the low frequency, high risk incidences.


Letter to the Editor:

I would like to share with you what it is to be a “Volunteer Firefighter”. I myself am a first generation Firefighter, although we have several second and even third generation firefighters on our department. It is something every little boy, and even some girls, dreams of becoming when they grow up. I know I did!
I have been on the Audubon Fire Department for 10 years now. By no means am I the one with the most time in nor am I the newest member. Our experience ranges from 60 years plus to little more than a month or two. We are, for the most part, a fun-loving bunch. When we are working around the fire hall we joke around and laugh and have a good time. We enjoy life and each other, (most of the time). There is a serious side to being a “Volunteer” firefighter too. That side, I’m afraid, only the firefighter and his/her family know. Chances are you will not find a more dedicated group of individuals, dedicated to each other, their department, and their public.
As volunteers we’re dedicated to the point where we learn all we can learn about our trade so we can do the best job possible in any type of emergency. We do this by giving up countless hours of our personal time and our family time so we can attend in-house and in-the-field training sessions. We spend some weekends taking courses or going to seminars held through out the state. We are always learning and staying on top of:
-The latest techniques to provide emergency medical care and earning continuing education credits while doing it.
-The extrication of victims from automobiles involved in motor vehicle crashes.
-Saving the lives of those who are trapped inside of a burning building-what the safest methods might be.
Numerous other hours are spent learning and refreshing our memories.
In the last 10 years I have personally given up countless hours for training purposes. The EMT class alone was 160 hours, traveling to the classroom twice a week and every other weekend. We have to maintain our skills and our knowledge of EMS procedures and state protocols by obtaining a certain number of continuing education credits during the two-year registry. We do this by holding continuing education classes monthly at our fire hall and in our nieghboring towns at their fire hall. The Firefighter 1 class, which is mandatory for all firefighters, is 60 plus hours as well. This class teaches the firefighter the techniques used in fighting any type of fire, fire behavior, proper use of fire hydrants, public relations, crowd control and that’s just getting started. We have to learn the proper way to put on our personal protective equipment and the SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) gear. This is only a “scratch of the surface”.
Many skills have to be learned in becoming a volunteer firefighter because we provide numerous services. In addition to fighting fires, some of us provide emergency medical services. We are rescue workers, hazardous material technicians, public relations people, sometimes even a grief counselor, an incident commander and a safety coordinator.
Does piling all these responsibilities on to one person, or even one group of individuals who are “volunteers” no less, seem reasonable? You may think all those skills might be overdoing it just a little, well consider this scenario:
There is a two-car accident with a family in each car. Thier ages range from infant to 65 years old. Volunteer firefighters are called to the scene. The “Jaws of Life” rescue must be used to extricate two of the victims from one of the vehicles. ALL of the occupants are in need of medical attention. One vehicle is smoking. There is the possibility that it may catch fire at any moment. Battery acid and anti-freeze is leaking from both vehicles.
This scene I just described is certainly not an exaggeration. Incidents like this occur who knows how many times throughout our nation throughout the year. What skills need to be used during a scene like the one described above? What do the volunteer firefighters need to know to protect, first of all, themselves and the victims involved in the crash? Needed at the crash site are among these things:
- Firefighters prepared to extinguish any fire that may occur.
- EMS personnel to treat the injured
- Rescue workers to use the Jaws of Life to safely extricate the victims
- Personnel to contain the hazardous materials (anti-freeze and battery acid)
- Counselors to comfort family members who have been involved in the accident or have seen their loved ones injured or even killed.
- A safety coordinator to ensure that all personnel working at the scene and any bystanders stay safe from any other injuries.
- An incident commander to be in charge of the entire scene and coordinate fire, law enforcement and ambulance personnel.
- Someone with public relations responsibilities to communicate appropriate information to the media who show up or later inquire.
As volunteers, we pride ourselves in knowing all of the skills listed above. But one is not born with these varied abilities; these technical aspects have to be learned. Most of that knowledge comes from the months of classroom and hands-on training we take and from the refresher courses we take through out our tenures as volunteers.
We get all of this training by giving up our personal time on evenings and weekends. We do that so we can be the best we can be when we serve the public. It takes a lot of dedication. In return is the satisfaction we get in knowing that what we do might make a little difference in someone’s life.
There is one trait a volunteer firefighter has that he or she cannot get in the classroom. That’s heart. The care and compassion that firefighters posses come from the heart and believe me, ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that all volunteers have heart, especially volunteer firefighters.
They all care for their fellow man or they wouldn’t be volunteering for this sort of job to begin with. Volunteer firefighters are truly ecstatic when they help to bring a new life into this world or are able to save a family’s personal possessions from a devastating house fire.
And, likewise, they are devastated when they lose someone they have worked so hard to save. Or lose a structure to a fire despite putting forth their best effort trying to save it. Those losses affect each and every one of us who have responded to the call. We later wonder over and over what we might have done differently to change the outcome. Our hearts truly go out to those who are affected by the loss.


In the seven years I have been a volunteer firefighter/EMT I have seen numerous incidents with both good and bad outcomes. I remember something about a great deal of those calls, but remember every little detail of the “bad” calls that I have been on.
The next time you see the volunteers at your local fire department, take a moment to remember all the training they’ve had so they can be the best they can be. Consider the time and effort they continually give to their community. Don’t forget the variety of tasks they are often asked to perform when their pagers go off no matter what time of the day or night.
Most of all, remember that volunteer firefighters do all they do with a lot of heart. Why not give them a wave or say “Thanks for all you do’ as you pass them.
We would ALL like to take this opportunity to thank YOU for YOUR support.

____________________________