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Operational Membership
Become a Volunteer
It's 3:00 am, a cold winter's night. Snow is falling and the area
is quietly blanketed in white. You're nestled in, sound asleep,
when suddenly you're torn awake by the sound of the bell and a blinding
light. Duty calls. You leave the warmth of your bed to head out
into the cold, but you don't complain, you don't ask for thanks. You do your job, you save
lives and protect property. You do it for free. You're a volunteer firefighter.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is what's known as a "combined"
system. While all of the county's 34 fire stations are staffed around
the clock by career personnel, the department relies heavily on
the use of volunteer firefighters. There are 12 volunteer fire stations
spread throughout Fairfax County, utilizing the services of more
than 500 volunteers.
Volunteer firefighters are used in various capacities within the county's fire service.
They supplement the staffing, adding personnel to units already
in service and provide emergency staffing for special events such
as the Fairfax Fair and the Bull Run Jamboree. Volunteers also place
units in service to cover for peak call periods such as during storms
or major incidents requiring a multitude of fire department resources.
Until recently, volunteer firefighters have been used to help offset
the overtime costs in the county. Twice a month, six volunteers
replaced career firefighters at a specific station. Those career
firefighters were sent to neighboring stations to cover positions
where overtime or a callback firefighter would be used.
The fire apparatus and buildings that volunteer companies use are mostly owned by the
volunteers and paid for by donations from the community. The direct
result of the time volunteer firefighters put in every year, combined
with the purchase of apparatus and ownership of facilities saves
the county millions of dollars a year in operating costs.
What Does It Take To Be A Volunteer?
It's a big job, so you must be asking, "What does it takes
to become a volunteer?" One word: Commitment. Volunteer firefighters
receive the same level of training as their career counterparts.
Initially, they receive about 20 hours of in-station orientation,
This period is used to get the new member accustomed to how the
individual station operates. During this time, volunteers also attend
basic classes at the Fire and Rescue Academy. These courses provide
training in CPR, Hazardous Materials Awareness (as required by OSHA),
Affirmative Action/EEO and a variety of other topics which prepare
the member to ride on apparatus as "cadets." These initial
Academy classes are known as "Level I". The Level I training
is a total of 40 hours. Once the 60 hours of initial training has
ended, and the member becomes eligible to ride, they can begin with
the more advanced training offered at the Academy.
Emergency Medical
Technician-Basic is a three-month state certification course that
teaches the members the basics of life support techniques. Volunteers
learn how to take vital signs, properly stabilize patients and treat
traumatic injuries as part of the curriculum. This course is required
before moving on to firefighter training. Members wishing to be
EMS-Only volunteers need not move on to the fire suppression courses
offered.
What Is Fire Fighter Training Like?
Firefighter I/Il is a six-month national certification course that
teaches the basics of fire suppression. Members learn skills such
as ropes and knots, ladders, hose racking and advancing and fire
behavior. This course is extremely physically demanding and requires
a big time commitment.
Once these classes
are completed, pending approval from the chief of the individual
department, the member can be qualified as a "minimum-staffing"
volunteer fully able to replace a career firefighter of the same
rank if needed.
Volunteer firefighters
can continue their career development to become officers in the
department, both in the EMS and Fire Suppression fields. Members
can also advance their EMS training by becoming Cardiac Care Technicians
or Paramedics. Specialty training is also available for volunteers
to become apparatus drivers, Hazardous Materials Technicians and
Technical Rescue Specialists. The only limitations to being a volunteer
firefighter are your own.
Not only is
there are large commitment to training, volunteer firefighters are
also required to participate a certain number of hours every month
at their respective stations. This includes a minimum riding requirement,
attending membership and training meetings and assisting with fundraising
and administrative events.
Why Volunteer?
What's in it for you? The satisfaction of knowing that you have
donated your time and efforts to being a part of the community.
Knowing that you may one day be able to save a life and knowing
that you have the skills, knowledge and experience to help you excel
in any endeavor in your life.
For information
on becoming a volunteer firefighter in Fairfax County, please call
the volunteer liaison at (703) 246-3926. You can also visit the Fairfax County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association Web Page.
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