I’m interested in becoming a fire fighter. Is there any way to volunteer at a fire station without going through the academy? I just want to make sure this is what I want to be before I spend my money on the academy. I know I can’t go fight fires but is there fire fighter ride alongs and such?
In many areas there are ride alongs and there are also other things you can volunteer to help with at the station house from equipment maintenance to cleaning to meal prep that will allow lots of interaction with the fire crews. Call your area fire station and ask. You can also volunteer with Red Cross Disaster Action Team in your area and help at fire sites by providing food and coffee to firefighters as they take a break from the lines,help families who have had fires to get basic help etc. and get more of a feel of the fire scenes and action.
December 30th, 2009 at 2:17 am
In many areas there are ride alongs and there are also other things you can volunteer to help with at the station house from equipment maintenance to cleaning to meal prep that will allow lots of interaction with the fire crews. Call your area fire station and ask. You can also volunteer with Red Cross Disaster Action Team in your area and help at fire sites by providing food and coffee to firefighters as they take a break from the lines,help families who have had fires to get basic help etc. and get more of a feel of the fire scenes and action.
References :
Been part of Red Cross teams and have friends who are firefighters
December 30th, 2009 at 2:48 am
Go to your local fire station and ask if they have volunteers. You can be a volunteer and they will give you the training you need in order to receive your FF1 also. This was you aren’t spending any money and are also getting your feet wet to see if this is the right job for you before jumping in and spending lots of money on it. Also, most depts do have ride alongs and you can go spend a day with them also. Good Luck.
References :
Cal Fire Firefighter, and Volunteer FF 12 years.