Why do you Volunteer

[CPVFD19]

Aint that the truth. My first call, after I peeled myself off the ceiling because the pager was right next to my bed, my heart was racing a mile a minute.Crazy Rush

First call - shoot, everytime that pager goes off!!! Gotta love flying out of the house (thankful you remembered to dress), get to the station and have to ask where the call is!

[jerry4184]

lightsandsound, you have the sense. I've been told I have it to. Most of the time, I'm up a good three or four minutes before the tones wondering why I can't get back to sleep. Then I know, when tones drop, and I'm like, well, i bet I'm ready before anyone else. Good thing to, I live the farthest from the primary station, and am lucky to make the second out rig on a nice working anything.

[lightsandsound]

Yeah Jerry I've got the curse pretty bad.....my name is actually ****-magnet!

[enginegirl1]

[QUOTE=jerry4184;752937]22

we had to write a descriptive essay on our favorite smell, and i picked the smell of the truck bay at my station, from when i was little. apparenly, you aren't supposed to like the smell of diesel, that slightly musty smell, and the rusty smell of metal, mixed with the occasional pipe or cigarette, and smoke.
Jerry - so great that you mentioned that smell....I am only on for 3 months but just the other day when I walked in the truck bay, I thought, boy I love that smell, and you described it so perfectly.

You all may laugh...but after my first live burn, for days I kept burying my nose in my turnout coat, smelling the smoke and remembering what a thrill it was to put out that fire. The smell gradually faded away and I was sorry to see it go. :-)

[thomas15]

1. Age ? 48

2. Length in the service? 2 years

3. Why I volunteer? Story- In May of 1996, one evening at 10:30 my neighbor banged on the door and told me there were flames coming from the roof of our house. I grabbed a 2Lb ABC and knocked down most of the flames, then yelled for the kids to get dressed and outside on the lawn. I picked up the phone, dialed 911 and reported the fire, then grabbed our 2 dogs and put them in my truck (so that they would not be in the way).

As I was putting the dogs in the truck, the chief of our vollie FD pulled up to the house, it had to be 2 minutes I would say from making the 911 call. Shortly after that the first truck pulled up and men went into the attic with charged hoses and a water can. I was expecting to see the roof go up in flames as there was lots of activity and a total of 8 trucks from 4 vollie fire compnies on scene.

After a while, things settled down and I found that the damage was very limited, thanks to the volunteers that left home and hearth at my call. They were totally professional.

I had always wanted to be a volunteer fire fighter and this incident made me feel like a "schlunk" for not being one but it wasn't until we moved out of state 8 years later that I joined the fire service. The fire service isn't for everyone, but for me it is an activity that satisfies my need for a technical outside activity that helps people in their time of need. The fire service has it's own built-in rewards.

4. What need(s) I think it fills in me? Sometimes, there is very little you can do for the person who calls for assistance. Even so, people who are loosing their prized posessions or are experiencing a loss seem to appreciate the fact that there are those who are willing to drop everything to help. Being a part of the solution is very rewarding to me. I like learning the skills necessary to function as a fire fighter and intend to be the best that I can be.

[ghost62]

1. Age 44
2. Length in the service? 9 months as vol, 9 years navy
3. Why I volunteer? Inner need to help others.
4. What need(s) I think it fills in me? Gratification of being useful and knowing I may have made a difference.

[RSNCAIN1]

1. Age 24
2. Length in the service? 7 years
3. Why I volunteer? Inner need to help others and serve my community.
4. What need(s) I think it fills in me? Brotherhood and my desire to help.

[ffemti21]

1. Age ?
2. Length in the service?
3. Why I volunteer?
4. What need(s) I think it fills in me?

1. 30
2. 12 years as a senior, 3 years as an acknowledged junior, and 7 years as the cheifs brat (son).
3. my story isnt as dramatic as some. My father and some friends started a fd in the little town i grew up in in 1985 i used to hang out with them whenever i was able. the day i realized i wanted to be a ff was when i was 9 or 10 and i went to a fully involved structure with my dad and i sat in the truck (not by choice a safety issue) and watched the whole thing, even the family standing there watching their home and all their memories burning down. i decided then i wanted to help as many people avert that tragedy as possible.
4. i had to take some time off the fd to go to college and i remember feeling a void that just couldnt be filled. after college i went back and corny as it sounds i felt fulfilled. i think it is being able to help people in need, the brotherhood when you are just hanging out at the station, and we all know this is true getting to "play" with big usually expensive toys and lots of FIRE.
Sorry for the drawn out story but i hope it helps,

[justme0203]

I wish to thank all who answered the questions for the paper I was working on. The finial score was 99. Many weeks of work paid off big, but not without your kindness. Be careful out there and a big thanks you.

[SWLAFireDawg]

I am attending college to obtain a degree in Physiology. I need to do a research paper and plan to do it on why people volunteer to be firefighter and/or EMTs. And compare them to the studies of why people fail to act in an emergency.

1. Age ?
2. Length in the service?
3. Why I volunteer?
4. What need(s) I think it fills in me?

Thank you for the help. This paper s due in 5 weeks I take accelerated course work.
Just past the questions in your reply.

1. 32
2. 4 years
3. Adrenaline Rush Initially.......then the realization that if I don't who will
4. Need to belong....be part of the community....no greater good than self sacrifice

[ckresmer]

I wish to thank all who answered the questions for the paper I was working on. The finial score was 99. Many weeks of work paid off big, but not without your kindness. Be careful out there and a big thanks you.

congrats and your welcome. helping is what we do best.

[XRaysJL]

1 = 38
2 = About 1 Year / 3 Months
3 = It gets me out of the home and gives me something to do.
4 = It provides me with a sence of serving the community and self gratification. It provides me with the oportunity to meet other people who live in my own neighborhood.

[rellik74]

1. Age 48
2. 5 years Volunteer, Background in ARFF
3. Somebody needs to do it?

4. What need(s) I like running around CODE 3 in my POV.


Volunteer Fire Chief, First Responder

[whitesox4life]

I am attending college to obtain a degree in Physiology. I need to do a research paper and plan to do it on why people volunteer to be firefighter and/or EMTs. And compare them to the studies of why people fail to act in an emergency.

1. Age ?
2. Length in the service?
3. Why I volunteer?
4. What need(s) I think it fills in me?

Thank you for the help. This paper s due in 5 weeks I take accelerated course work.
Just past the questions in your reply.

1. 16 (jr. ff)
2. on dept. for 1 1/2 yrs. around service since born
3. give back to the community
4. it makes me feel good knowing that i am doing something good with my spare time instead of sitting on my @$$ playing video games or watching tv

good luck w/ your paper

[wombat]

1. 52
2. 32 yrs
3. To serve my community
4. Part of life when I get to do my thing as part of a team.

[enginegirl1]

Justme0203, glad you got that 99 on your paper. This was a good thread for all of us, too. Best wishes to you.
Amy

[xsmoker]

I don't know if anyone can relate here, but I find that it's actually not the tone of the pager that wakes me up when I'm sleeping...it's the sound it makes as the speaker comes on...just before the tone...it's like a little 'pop' sound.

NJ

Count me as another who wakes up just BEFORE it goes off. Once I woke up for some reason, looked at the pager, and it went off!

[Bugle3]

Age-37
Length of Service-21.5 years
Why-I would say it's in the family
What need-Geez, that's tough. I work for the police so I guess it lets me get positive feedback from helping the community.

[ncfd1864]

1. Age ?
2. Length in the service?
3. Why I volunteer?
4. What need(s) I think it fills in me?

1. 33

2. 14 years

3. to help out when ever I can. Also 3rd generation firefighter and the love of the job.

4. second family, brotherhood and some things I just cant put into words.

[RAMFIRE42]

I think I can speek for most everyone when I say "FAMILY" is why we all do it.

No matter if it is your "FAMILY" or my "FAMILY" or someone else's "FAMILY".
The "FAMILY" created at your station, or the "FAMILY" shared by the brothers and sisters all over the world.

It is all done for "FAMILY"!