A Firefighters Point of View
DeVry University
Linda G Stegall
February 15, 2015

The discussion over a volunteer fire department becoming a paid fire department or a combination fire department has been going on in many different areas of North Carolina. Out of these three who is better, who can answer their calls better, and who performs better. As a member of The Wingate Volunteer Fire Department for twenty five years I am very partial to the volunteer side. I know the need for protection from all the different types of departments but it is my decision to side with the combination fire department.
When talking about a volunteer fire department, “We are not just a bunch of guys standing around waiting on the pager to go off!” Most of us volunteers work full time jobs and run calls when we can. We have trained and continue to train once if not twice a week. The state of North Carolina sets training objectives that all firefighters paid or volunteer must meet. In order for any firefighter to go into a burning structure of any kind they must be firefighter one certified. “Firefighting is a highly competitive field (Lawrence, nd).” “Most departments only require a high school diploma or an equivalent such as a GED, also require a drug screening and a background check plus a valid driver’s license and live within the service area of the department (Volunteer Fireman, nd).” “In the state of North Carolina each volunteer fire department must maintain a list of firefighters who have meet the eligibility qualifications of the thirty-six hours of training a year and turn into the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association (Kris, 2011).” We have certain hours each year set aside for other areas of training opportunities. They include but are not limited to ropes, vehicle fires, extrication, etc. Also if you are a certified emergency medical technician basic, certification required to run medical calls in the state of North Carolina, you have to have a minimum of twenty one hours a year to keep your certification in good standings.
Both volunteer and paid staffs are required to meet these standards set by the North Carolina Fire Association. So when looking at training opportunities paid or volunteer they are the same, and I don’t think either is better than the other. When someone calls 911 there is a chain of response that happens depending on the type of call. Let’s just say someone calls in with chest pains. The first response personnel to be dispatched are going to be EMS or ambulance as most people know. The second would be the fire department and first responders. On a paid staff they are already at the fire station and pretty much respond right away. With a volunteer fire department our members are going to be coming from their homes. They will leave their family and drive their personal vehicles to respond to the seen or to the department to pick up a fire truck, tanker or the rescue truck. Paid staff are of course getting paid where as a volunteer is not. We go because we want to help, not because we have to in order to get paid. We volunteer our time, knowledge, and service out of our hearts and will to help our community. Response times seem to be better with a paid staff because they are there and ready to go. With volunteer we lag just a little behind because we are not at the station.
Since I am a member of my local fire department I have been able to see other members join to see if they will like the fire service. Some have gone on and became fireman on a paid staff. The volunteer service has trained and shaped these young men and women to do what they love. They are doing what a lot of people wish they could do. There are many different types of volunteers in the fire departments. Support members are there when you need someone to go and get ice, drinks, and crackers when needed on a fire scene. From time to time family members and the community help with fund raisers when there is a need to raise money for new equipment. All volunteer departments have selected members that become officers and they work on grants and other ways to raise or obtain additional funds. There are things that the firefighters don’t like about the fire service on both sides of the paid and volunteer departments. Some things in a volunteers view are that you’re taken away from your family and friends, you’re up and down during the night, and it is physically and mentally straining. In a paid firefighters view you have long 24 hour shifts, money is not great, and a limited night’s sleep. Positive things about fire departments are that you make lifelong friendships; it prepares individuals for life, and it is a unique way to meet people.
There are no doubts that with our growing world the need for fire departments are greater now than twenty five years ago. In Monroe, North Carolina the Monroe Fire Department is a paid staff fire department that provides medical and fire suppression to the city limits of Monroe. With a large population in Monroe there is higher call volumes during the day and night. This makes the need for the city has four different shifts known as A shift, B shift, C shift, and D shift. These shifts are full time and have firefighters that work part time and some that just cover when it is needed. “Career firefighters have to have a high school diploma or an equivalent like a GED while working toward a degree in fire science or fire safety engineering (Volunteer Fireman, nd).” “They have to take a physical exam and an ability test to see if they can handle themselves with an air pack on climbing a ladder and crawling into tight places which is done yearly (Lawrence, nd).” When you go outside the city where the population is smaller you may not need a 24 hour paid staff. That’s where the neighboring combination or volunteer fire service comes to respond on the call.
“Fire and rescue magazine has determined that there are not just volunteer departments or paid departments anymore (Markley, 2014).” “There are three different types of classification for the fire departments they are volunteer, pay per call and paid (Markley, 2014).” There is a new type of department and it is a combination fire department which is paid and volunteer staffed. Combination departments were formed out of need when the volunteers were not going on calls and it became a necessity to get members to respond on the emergency calls. This is the type of department Wingate has now because of our call volume is so high. The older members were there were getting tired of running so many calls and we were not able to recruit a whole lot of new members until the board established a pay per call system. The pay per call system is set up as five dollars a call and if you have the firefighter one certification than you earn a dollar more. If you have your EMT certification its fifty cents more, if you have firefighter two certification its one dollar more and the last certification is vehicle extraction rescue (VMR) and that is supposed to be one dollar also. So in total you could make an average of eight dollars and fifty cents a call and you get a percentage of your calls twice a year as a bonus. Since the pay per call has gone into effect we have seen an increase in members and some of them do this while they attended Wingate University. “Even though the firefighters are a brotherhood we need not let the class type of a department pull us a part (Markley, 2014).” “For most volunteer fire departments the rising costs of keeping a department up and personal is decking and available funds are shrinking (Brown, 2014).” Most volunteer departments are going to the combination department because the board sees it as a way to keep the community safe and the insurance ratings down.
Firefighters have to be team members and spending a lot of time working and living together creates a sense of community that encourages camaraderie and lifelong friendships. The major risk of being a firefighter is injury or death. Firefighters are exposed to toxic fumes and hazardous chemicals among other things. Firefighters risk their lives to rescue victims from different situations showing professionalism and the will to help others. The real problem that most fire departments have is trying to get new members and keeping the older members. It is hard to find new members when they realize that it takes training, certifications, and that it takes you away from your family and friends. Over the years fire departments that have whole families volunteer such as my family shows that teamwork can be done in both the fire department and at your home. Some departments do not have enough members to make every call during the day. “When the fire department doesn’t have enough people, we are impacting public safety (Brown, 2014).” If that is the case there is a mutual aid response protocol that is in place to assist each other showing a need for volunteer and paid staff departments. “The most precious commodity that we have as a volunteer fireman is the time we have to do the job (Brown, 2014).” While the departments are getting older they are getting better. The changes that the departments have seen over the years has made them deal with the realities of how to make the volunteer firefighters strong and the stations better equipped to respond to any call that should arise. “The overall look of the fire departments in the next 10 years is changing and looks drastically different from today and that’s a positive outlook (Brown, 2014).”
A lot of times you will hear of the three working together providing mutual aid for each other. There are always times when we fall to each other for help. We need each other and don’t act like either is better. We are one brother and sisterhood all fighting and working for the same goal to help our community in their times of need. Firefighters are needed all over the country and in the world. Firefighters that are paid and volunteer are not better or less than the other. People can argue all day about which is better but in they are all a much needed service to any community. I like the combination department best because I get paid for all the calls I respond to and enjoy learning new things in classes that I have taken in several counties in North Carolina. Spending time with other members and talking about fires or wrecks that you can’t talk about with the public. I have to say this is part of my family and will do anything for the members of the department. References Brown, Andrew. (2014). PA fire departments deal with big drop in recruits. Retrieved from http://www.mcall.com/mc-volunteer-firefighter-decline-loans-20140906-story.html
Kris. (2011). What qualifies as acceptable hours for my 36 hours of training required each year?. Retrieved from http://www.ncsfa.com/?s=training+hours
Lawrence, Cameron. (2015). How firefighter training works. Retrieved from http://people.howstuffworks.com/firefighter-training.htm
Markley, Rick. (2014). Career vs. volunteer battle has no place in future fire department. Retrieved from http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-chief/articles/1865551-Career-vs-volunteer-battle-has-no-place-in-future-fire-departtment
Volunteer Fireman: Requirements for Volunteer Firefighters. (2015). Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/articles/Volunteer_Fireman_Requirements_for_Volunteer_Firefighters.html