Personal Narrative: A Career As A Volunteer Firefighter

Volunteer fire departments everywhere have staffing problems. If you take a drive past any fire department you will probably see a volunteers needed sign. A fire chief in Pennsylvania stated “I would like to have a greater turnout of firefighters on scene than what we currently have,” he said. “We have a lack of volunteers who are able to respond during daytime hours” (Shawgo, 2014, p. 17). There are several reason that there is not as good of a turnout as there used to be. Back in the 1970s and 1980s the thing to do in town was to hang out at the fire house. There was not as much going on as there is today. People today want to spend more time with their family and go out to the movies or mini golfing, things that family’s did not do as much back in the day. The average amount of training that a volunteer must go through is about 130 hours. Most people see that as too much time to sacrifice. Also, in today’s economy many people work a second or even third job in order to make ends meet. There are also more single parent households then there used to be, which does not allow for hardly any time to volunteer. Due to the reasons stated above it is very difficult to properly staff fire trucks in volunteer departments. The average age of members continues to increase. The few people left who still find time to volunteer often work a regular job during the day, which makes day time emergency calls even harder to respond to with proper staffing. The typical fire truck holds 6

I woke up one cold, fall morning in September. I went and checked on my kids. They have been kind of sad since my wife, which was their mother as well, passed away in a car accident. They were still asleep, I woke them up one by one, to begin with I woke up Carman, then Christy, and finally, Jessie. Next, I woke up Jessie last because he is the only boy, and his room is the farthest from mine. Today being a firefighter would be hard because there is training. Then, my kids off at school and headed off to work with my trusty dog, Rover, but not before I got something to eat.

Being a volunteer has shaped me to become a better person and has given me a greater sense of appreciation. Those my age often take simple things for granted, such as a roof over their head. Seeing those in need, whether it be finances, medical attention, or even something small, has made me realize the value in what I am lucky to have already.

There are situations that impact your everyday life that’s when we call the “Firefighters”. Their lifestyle is risky, they serve the people. Firefighters truly deserve the respect and honor from the community, at the same time, this is a way of showing gratitude for their courage. The firefighter station that I visited was the fire department in San Fernando called “ Station 98”, and their agency is Los Angeles Fire Department, it has been around since 1886.

At a young age I discovered a passion for helping others and I have continued to be passionate about serving my community since then. At the age of eight years old I began the first year of what would soon be my ten year membership of 4-H. Through that program and my church’s youth group I truly began to understand what selfless service was all about. I first began helping others by walking dogs at the local shelter and helping my 4-H club clean the sides of the highways. I later was able to experience several mission trips that opened my eyes to the larger aspect of service. My love for helping people continued to grow as I got older and I continued to find ways to make a difference. One of my favorite experiences was getting to help cook and serve a meal at a homeless

Firefighting had been a dream of mine for years, and I had finally made it into Fire Academy. The day I walked into the fire station I had the feeling of a kid in the candy store. I had no idea how the next six months would change me as a person. We trained our bodies both physically and emotionally. I did thousands of pushups, learned to tie knots, practiced search and rescue, and studied my textbook for long hours every night. I could feel my body tiring, and I could feel my mind getting weak. The excitement that filled me on my first day had drifted into the back

The alarm sounds. You now have about five minutes to get yourself ready and aware for what your about to be facing. During those five precious minutes, someone's house is a blaze with fire. It is your duty to put that fire out, preserve as much as possible, and protect life. Do you think you could handle so much responsibility, pressure, and risk? I know I could. It is a dream of mine to become a firefighter in all sense of the word. I enjoy the thought of risk taking and even helping people, which is why I think that this profession would be just right for me. Ever since I was about 11 years old, and my house had caught fire, had I wanted to be a firefighter. Just watching all of those skilled firefighters mesmerized me. They had such

Some people may also not like the amount of downtime they have. Most people think a fireman is constantly working, but the reality is that most of their day is spent cleaning, training or sitting around. This needs to be considered when deciding if firefighting

My dad has been a police officer for about 20 years now, but he is not one of the first responders; he works inside of the jail and supervise the prisoners. My uncle was the sheriff’s deputy and his son just got a job working at the prison. that is only a few of my family member who are police officers and I hear from my dad alone how tough it is to be one, so I would think being it a firefighter is no much easier. By my family's history proves that I have courage and strength in my blood.

My time at the Red Cross I learned a lot, and I made a difference in the community. My job at the Red Cross blood drive was that I was a blood ambassador. A blood ambassador is someone who checks the blood donors in, and make sure that after they come out of giving blood they do not look odd. I was volunteering at a blood drive at Black Mountain, North Carolina Fire Station from 10:30 to 4:00 o’clock. I was usually on my own for the most of the time, but for the first half of my shift their was another volunteer. She was there for half the time, but half way through because they did not need her. Some of the Red Cross staff members came to check in on how I was doing from time to time. My service for the Red Cross was very helpful because I

Firefighters and EMTs leave their families and loved ones home when they know that in each call they respond to, is dangerous and could be life taking. Firefighters go into burning buildings sometimes without knowing substances that have exploded, causing them to be exposed to toxics that could harm the body. Because these toxic substances are in the air, firefighters are more prone to obtain cancer, but most firefighters are volunteers. EMTs risk their lives when they respond to calls as well; when they respond, EMTs put themselves in a dangerous situation because unusual situations do occur. If the building burning was purposely set on fire, an explosion for the first responders could be the next to happen; any situation could end badly but first responders are continuously putting the well-being of others before themselves without any expectation of praise, which shows they are sacrificing their own life to help community members in unsafe situations.

My understanding of a modern day firefighter is that they are here as a community role model, who protects, educates, investigates, and prevents fire for happening. But should a fire, accident or medical incident arise they are the organisation that the community turns too.

Firefighters are commonly known for their brotherhood and their bravery to help those in need without any warning. Although being a firefighter can be a risky career by saving lives of people they do not know; some have other professions. There are some who are managers of businesses, farmers working in the fields, or even the hometown dentist. For those who are not career members are often classified as volunteer firefighters. “There were 1,134,400 career and volunteer firefighters in the U.S. in 2014” (Haynes and Stein). To better understand the history of firefighting, one must know where the first station was built and the first tools used, symbolism of the fire helmet, and how equipment and training procedures have changed over

I have an inspiration to become a firefighter because I can help my community by grasping onto what they hold high in their hearts, protecting what they hold special, and saving the ones they love. Firefighting is a career that can make me feel pleased and finished, and it is a profession in which I have a considerable measure of admiration for. Keeping in mind the end goal to be a firefighter is to be fit, arranged, experienced, and prepared to manage my occupation candidly and also physically. By working as a firefighter I see an entire eventual fate of conceivable outcomes and opportunities that I would be regarded to face head on and succeed in. I decided to be a firefighter on the grounds that I need to have the capacity to help other

My husband, the dedicated fireman. Me, a part-time accountant, full time student and mother of our two boys, ages sixteen and two. It has been a long and busy day for us all, so we decided to go to bed earlier than usual.