Volunteer firefighters? #shorts #podcast #firefighter

[TheOwlWatches]

I’m a volunteer and I absolutely love it, I get to get so much experience and honestly just have fun sometimes. I’m wanting to join a paid department soon

[amarillocowboy]

I was a volunteer firefighter for 15 years.
I loved the challenges of firefighting, from when the tones sounded, until we were back at the station, after all the apparatus was refueled, restocked, and the hoses cleaned and replaced.

[itsyaboimat]

I'm paid on call, its basically being a volunteer but we get paid for training and calls, more and more volunteer departments are going POC because of the drop in volunteers so they use pay as a way to hopefully be able to retain members. I know on one of the two departments I'm on nearly all the guy's on our department are 60+ I'm the second youngest guy on our department at 28. Everyone else is 39+

[Victor-vtck]

In most european countries 99% of our firefighters are volunteers, only cities of 10k or more get a state fire service, but even then usually they usually show up at a rural call way after the fire is out, usually for the paperwork since they’re basically supervisors of the surrounding Volunteer fire stations.

[lorielpoteat]

This is so true . My Dad was a volunteer Firefighter for 22 years .

[RobertRodriguez-vohl]

Thank you volunteer Firefighters for your service. We appreciate you. God speed.🙏👍🚒🚒🚒❤️

[Humanbutcool]

The volunteer fire department is so cool

[SPG]

As a volunteer and in the works to go paid, there’s no amount of money you could pay me that’d give me more joy than to help other people. And also, I have faked sick at work to go run Fire calls 😂

[straightwhitemale]

I’ve been a volunteer firefighter for 17 years. A couple of years ago I got on with a combination dept and it’s all shifts you’re either on duty or off and in uniform while on duty. We ride alongside the career guys and it pays off in so many ways. We get over 15000 fire/ems calls a year and it’s increasing. Everything we learn from there I bring back to my respond from home dept. I also work between 50 and 70+ hrs a week including some weekends and I’m a father but I still try and make any call I can…and it’s hard. We use our own gas pay for our own blue lights(optional) and even with those nobody moves over. And yes it’s thankless but that’s ok becoming as long as you do it for the right reasons you don’t need to hear thank you. Knowing you do all you can to help and seeing a smile or even hearing a rare thank you its more than enough. But yes it’s absolutely hard to make meetings and training and calls and everything else that comes with being a volunteer. But dam is it worth every last second.

[thrillseeker]

It really does confuse me why such a high risk occupation would even ask people to do it for free

[cw]

I enjoy the idea of vol ff. There is so much i admire and enjoy about this. I believe i will submit my application to vol in the next year. Id be honored to do service such as this. Peace be upon you❤

[jabanan]

Here in Czech Republic volunteers work and are paid and invested in by local village governments (Mayors) and they respond first if professionals aren't close enough. Some villages spend a lot more money than others, so some volunteer unit's can be better equipped than some professional units. Mostly town and cities have pro units. But villages can be pretty far away from those

[virtualpaladin]

Before anyone hates on volunteers, Volunteer FFs have died in the line of duty & from work related cancers just as much as career FFs have. Just some food for thought

[ryanpaul]

It's not only the time commitment. It's hard to find someone to risk injury/harm when they aren't being paid and may not be able to work their 9-5 if they are injured. Also in cities, buildings are much different than in rural volunteer FF communities so there are training and fitness standards that have to be in place to protect firefighters. It's a complex issue, not just a time thing.

[MegaMantim]

I was a volunteer for 4 years before I landed a fulltime Firefighter job and worked it for 30 years...I loved being a volunteer...To bad the volunteer service is dwindling in the U.S.

[Goober]

"protected" is a strong word when referring to vollies who have little to no training.

[Jboy]

I retired from a paid department and there is a saying in the fire service, if they stop volunteering, somebody will pay them! Be safe

[TwiggySquidz]

So we have to pay 6 grand per hospital visit and our firemen get paid shit if anything at all for risking their lives. I recently learned that HOTSHOT crews get paid 14 or 15 an hour. This country is back asswards

[THE_ROSTER]

Do you have tips for future firefighters or jr volunteer firefighters?

[masterc]

As someone with no experience who’s interested in become in a firefighter would being a volunteer be a good way to start