When I look back over the major decisions that I have made in my life, this will rank up there among the best.Most people do not associate urban areas with a volunteer fire and rescue department... and for good reason. The good people of Northern Virginia are fortunate to be served by an excellent, highly-professional force of career paid firefighter and paramedics in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, and other jurisdictions. These men and women are dedicated individuals who work as a seamless team that result in emergency response times that are far better than national averages. I feel truly privledged to be associated with them. That said, the volunteers serve many valuable purposes. A chronic and under-appreciated shortage of medic units and the recent closing of Pentagon City Hospital in Arlington has resulted in frequent "zero status" of available medic units in the County and strains the resources of other jurisdictions who join together in "mutual aid" agreements. Discussions of the reasons will wait for another day. However, the volunteers help mitigate this problem by staffing Basic Life Support ambulances on weekends and holidays. I try and do my part by working at least one 12-hour shift per month on the ambulance in the Department I serve.
As much as I enjoy working on the ambulance, my real passion is the fire service. In the pic above, I have just pulled and flaked out a line and am waiting for the pump operator to charge the line as part of a training drill for more junior recruits.
In my jurisdiction, volunteers do not solely staff any fire apparatus; however, we can supplement career crews after attaining specified levels of training. The bare minimum amount of training required to serve as supplemental staffing on the engine entails hose line pulls and packs; tool and appliance location and use; breathing apparatus; ladders; and basic fire ground operations, roles, and responsibilities. When volunteers complete Firefighter I/II certification, they may perform all of the duties that career firefighters perform at the direction of the apparatus officer.
I have been riding the engine since July 1999. I am shown helmet-less (I know) in the pic below helping teach recruits on the fine art of packing the 200' 1 3/4" hose crosslay preconnect.
In addition to traditional fire and emergency medical support, our volunteers own and operate a Light and Air support truck that serves many purposes: (1) illumination support to major incidents, (2) SCBA air bottle refilling, (3) water removal through sump pumps and water vacs, (4) fire ground operations support through an in-unit command post and on-board small tools and extinguishers, (5) power through electrical and gas generators, (6) smoke removal through positive-pressure ventilation fans and smoke ejectors, and (7) overhaul clean-up support. The LA truck is dispatched on an as-needed basis which often means pages in the middle of the night. When the calls come, we go.
As a volunteer in a fairly small organization, there is scores of administrative stuff that needs to be done. But then again, that is probably not why you came to this page. We will move on. If the administrivia excites you, well, I worry about you. But you can eMail me for more details if you are so inclined.
In the meantime, I will continue to staff the ambulance, train and ride with the career guys, and respond to on-call requests for volunteer support services at all hours of the day and night (providing that I am not at my day job). In the pic above, I am leading the charge into the tower on a training exercise.
Not everyone understands firemen and paramedics both career and volunteer and the tough job that they have. Personally, all I ask of the general public is deference to emergency vehicles when they are responding to calls; respect for the individuals and the space to allow them to do their jobs safely and professionally; and even token financial support to volunteer departments when they seek your help to buy equipment to better serve your community. As a firefighter, I never want to see anyone's house or property burn. However, if it does, I am more than happy to come out and fight the blaze for you.
Safety first.