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Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on April 3, 2010 at 1:41pm

Good Casey. Try asking about their chain of command, the probationary period, the requirements of the membership other than firefighting (fund raising etc) Training oportunities/requirements, pay. How many years of service on average the members have and what are their level of training? (this is important to determine if you are getting into an old boys club) also the history of the dept. ( thats something you should look up instead of ask). I am sure there is much much more. good topic though.

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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on April 3, 2010 at 1:51pm

Look at their reputation in the community and among surrounding departments. Find out what their priorities are. Is firefighter safety number one? Any history in that regard? Ask about training and certification also.

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Permalink Reply by Roy Walker on April 3, 2010 at 4:18pm

Pay close attention to their equipment ,is it up to date and well maintained? Is the station clean and orderly? All of these will give you a clue as to the professionalism of the department and the pride and moral of the members.This with the already mentioned questions will give you a good baseline to judge the department

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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on April 3, 2010 at 4:28pm

While the core of your question is a good question, your posts specific followup questions, in my opinion, make me wonder if this is really the right job for you to pursue. The fire service needs self-motivated people. These type of area / department specific questions cannot be answered here on the FFN. Let me explain...

How far can you live from a station?

1. Depends on department policy.
2. Depends on your pocket book and how much fuel and time you want to put into it.

What are the schedules like?

1. Kind of an overhead question with no one following any set rules or standards as far as staffing levels or policies.
2. Depends on the department and how they run things.

What do they expect of their firefighters?

1. Depends on the department.
2. Depends of what kind of background and education you have in the fire service to offer.

Can I ride along?

1. Think about this one, volunteer fire department... This is a good concept to get to know more about what they do, but it's the number of runs that could and will be a factor here. If you want to get experience and see more big picture, perhaps a ride along with the closest larger department might be a better hit.
2. Depends on department policy.

How many volunteer firefighters are there?

1. Again, a nebulous question that is department specific.
2. Depends on the department.

Bottom Line:

Do your own research and homework because to not do so indicates that you are incapable of doing minimal tasks without supervision. If you really want to do this gig, you have to have more on the ball than what you are presenting. This goes back to when you defending Frederick who as it turns out was 14-year old poser that was removed finally from the FFN. You have to learn to look past the obvious and become more self-motivated to accomplish things. This includes doing your own homework.

The folks that you will be competing for a job are quite capable of doing this type of basic research that starts with a conversation with the specific fire department involved.

Please understand my hesitance to be Mr. Mentor with you based on the minimal information you posted on your profile page. What I personally have is no patience for people who are too lazy to do simple things such as asking the questions you posted in this discussion. Having had the chance to see what you are competing against, at least the young men and women in my area are by far light years ahead of you. You've got a lot of catching up to do buddy.

I somehow just don't picture you as being needy and lazy... are you? Simply put, go to the local fire station and... talk to them, not us unless the questions could not be handled by you personally. I know it's a tough first step but it start with walking away from the key board and actually taking the time to drop by local fire stations and... ask questions.

CBz

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Luechtefeld on April 7, 2010 at 4:14pm

All the suggestions are good. Here are mine:

1. What insurance policies are in place to protect the interests of self and family in the event of injury or death?
2. Is there any sort of pension plan?
3. What's the yearly call volume? What percentage of calls are EMS, fire, rescue, and other?
4. What can the department offer in the form of formal training opportunities to advance one's skills?

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