Through the years, I’ve participated in numerous interviews with candidates that have applied for membership in our department.  Recently, I started thinking about the challenges of our proud volunteer fire service, and how special of a person it takes to become a professional volunteer firefighter.  In a world where there are many different kinds of people, and many different personalities and priorities, these people give their time and energy to make their communities safer. 

As I pondered this for a moment, I reflected upon some of our candidate interviews.  In each interview, we ask them why they want to join our fire department, and I realized that many of their reasons for joining our service are not all that different.  These people are from all walks of life, and often with the same goal… to help other people.  They say it in a variety of different ways, with different words, but it’s really all the same.

When I think about some of the reasons I have heard the most, I remember statements like “I want to help my community”, “I want to serve my town”, and “I want to help people”.  What a noble admission this is, and especially in an intimidating interview situation!  It’s even more impressive, considering that these candidates are coming into the fire service with the understanding that firefighters can be hurt, and die, in the line of duty.  Every one of us has probably thought about that as we began our candidacy, before joining our first department.  But, over time, we tend to lose sight of the personal courage that it took for these candidates to deal with this. 

This situation is not unique to us as volunteers, and transcends generations of firefighters.  In fact, FDNY’s Chief Edward F. Croker (1899 – 1911) once stated, “When they join the department they face that fact. When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work.”  The interesting part here is that he made that statement over 100 years ago.

Some of the other reasons that I have heard often from candidates through the years, in no particular order, are:

• To learn new skills.
• To fulfill a family tradition (mom, dad, grandpa, uncle, was a firefighter).
• Interest in public safety as a potential career field.
• To be a part of a team.
• Someone in the F.D. talked to them, and they were so excited about it that it sounded pretty neat.
• To gain excitement and experiences.
• To develop a future career/build resume.
• To pursue firefighting as a career field.

Each of these reasons is valid.  Of course, these can vary from person to person.  Many of us have had one or more of these in our minds as we began our journey to a fire service career.  It’s important to remember these reasons from time to time, as years of evening and weekend training and departmental experiences can change our focus to the priorities at hand.  In order to retain those important volunteers, we have to make sure that they are meeting their individual goals too!

When I first applied to our department, I put on my application that I wanted to join the fire service to serve my community.  In my interview, I also added that I wanted to be a part of a great team.  All these years later, I can proudly say that I’ve done both of those things… and many more.  And, what a great experience it has been.

Why did you volunteer?