Commitment

It's important that you understand the commitment required, prior to joining the fire company. You may hear the term, "the only thing voluntary is joining; the rest is mandatory". For firefighters, this isn't far from the truth.

If you're joining as a firefighter, you will be expected to attend several months of classroom training two or three nights per week, while also attending at least 50 percent of all firehouse events (fire calls, drills, etc). Firefighters are also on call three nights per week (although there are few calls at night), and must remain in the local responding area.

Administrative Members are required to volunteer a minimum of 10 hours per month; 120 total hours per year. They have no "percentage" requirement.

Both firefighters and Administrative Members are expected to attend Monday night weekly meetings from 7pm till 9:30pm.

Aside from the above expectations, we realize certain situations require special handling. Speak with the membership committee about your concerns.

Probation

New firefighters and Administrative members are on "probation" for at least 12 months after joining. During your first year, you will be expected to learn procedures, and if you've applied to be a firefighter, you must also learn firematics and firefighting. You will also learn the group dynamics and at the same time, the group will be learning about you.

After successfully completing their first three months of service, probationary members are given the combination to the firehouse. Probationary Firefighters must maintain a 50% Participation Average (see the Measuring Your Participation section) during their first year and Administrative Members must be volunteering at least 10 hours per month. You will have the right to vote at meetings only after successfully completing six months of service while maintaining a 50% Participation Average (or if Administrative, 10 hours per month).

Length of Calls - and Duty Crews (on-call crews)

Most fire calls last less than 1 hour, particularly if they are false alarms. Gas leak related calls, which require ventilation of a home, may last 2 to 4 hours. Calls involving hazardous materials or active fires may last 3 to 5 hours or longer depending on the size and severity. However we do not directly handle hazardous materials; we call for mutual aid from specialists.

Duty crews are on call till 5:00am. Thus if a call occurs a few minutes before 5:00am, you will likely be back at the firehouse by 7:00am. This may or may not be enough time for most people to still get to work in the morning. Most members have more flexibility on the weekends regarding other responsibilities. If your work times consistently conflict with Duty Crew on-call times, you may make other Duty Crew arrangements with the Chief.

For more information on volunteering, please click the links that appear to the left.