Anybody Do Volunteer Fire?

RheatherN, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Sep 25, 2007

omg do ittttt!!!! :) i was on my local resque squad for 4 years before i had to quit because it was too much committment during school. we run our whole county, and i loved it! i did more medical; jaws of life (@ 75lbs dead lift); generators; smushing myself into cars to hold c-spine; getting the helio here by gps and landed to load and go with the patients...i miss that pager going off in the dead of the worst night of the winter seasons to pull some stupid kid that tried to hit their breaks on the ice to make a stop sign and rolled the car instead....okay, okay.. now i am just way way to excited!!! as for the vfd? loved it, but i am all about proving that i can do just as much, usually more, than the boys because the look down until you do. i am 5'5.5" @ 130, and do just fine. you get into the fight, into the thick of everything and you can do it!! just like any emergency you could think of in the hospital setting- just ten times more. well 10 times more than i have ever experienced in the hospital setting...yet... if you wanna talk, you are more than welcome to pm me & we can talk more. this is a passion of mine if you dont see that already! lol

-heather-

NursingAgainstdaOdds · Sep 25, 2007

LOL great to see you have such enthusiasm for volunteer fire. I actually called the chief of one of the local companies and left a message a few minutes ago ... I've been wanting to make that call for the last several months. People kept discouraging me saying I should get settled at work first (new grad). Turns out, I really feel I could have "handled" both no problem. Eh.

underpaidrn · Sep 25, 2007

Go for it. I was a volunteer firefighter and EMT for about 10 years. I really loved it. I worked hard and the guys gave me no slack because I was a female. I had to prove myself, perhaps a bit harder than they did, but I loved everything about it and was usually on the nozzle when we entered a structure fire. The experiences I have had are memories that I enjoy reliving. They have actually helped me as an RN, which is my "real" job. I have a real appreciation for the men and women who volunteer their time. GO FOR IT!

bigsyis · Sep 25, 2007

I was a volunteer FF/First Responder in my mountain community for several years. I am a lot taller and a good bit heavier than you, and the PT was never an issue. I was the only woman on the dept, and the guys were great. Considerate and polite, but still treated me like one of them, with no special favors asked or granted. I loved all the training and the calls that we answered. We were a minimum 30-minute ambulance ride to a hospital, so our dept was IT. We truly were the difference between life and death for some folks, and we had really good outcomes. All I can say is go for it-some depts have smaller gals, and they obviously must be able to haul their load, because I PROMISE you-they wouldn't be there, if they couldn't. Not only the lives of the public, but especially those of your fellow firefighters depend upon you. It is like being part of a family. BTW, my dad was a Fireman for 31 yrs, so it was kinda in my blood.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 25, 2007

I'm on my rural squad and I love it. I'm 49 y/o, short and fat and still love it! I'm the only female in my firehouse but we have two other firehouses and they all have females. I love it (did I say that?)

BTW, I'm a pre-hospital RN which is actually a license in the state of IL. Depending on where you live, this might be an option.

Did I say I love it?? I've been on for 8 years!

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Sep 25, 2007

No fire for me, but I'm a nurse who is "in between" EMS agencies right now. I was a volunteer, but I'm looking for a part-time paid EMS position now.

Pros: It's a ton of fun to make the calls, if you understand that a great majority of 911 calls are not life-saving situations. Great experience too! If your interests are medical, you'll especially enjoy a combined VFD/EMS or VFD/first responder agency.

Cons: If you think that the politics in nursing can be heavy... (But look around and form your own opinions about the local agencies. There are good VFD's out there.)

For me, it breaks down like this: I got tired of doing as much/more work for free as the next medic was doing for pay. Although I probably won't make nearly as much money on the ambulance as I do in nursing, that pay is still good for spending money.

If your interest is mainly in fire, volunteering may be the best option to start off, as it's hard to get a paid fire position in many places without FF certification.

Pie'nthesky · Sep 25, 2007

I did it and I loved it!!!! My certs were the same as the career guys, training exactly the same too. They cut me no slack for being a girl and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. On the scene, fire doesn't discriminate. You have to be able to do the work. You have to. If you can't you become a liability and the men will resent that. Not to mention you can kill someone or be killed yourself. There can be a "boy's club" mentality, but the guys I worked with treated me very well. They are like brothers to me. I also worked for an ambulance service, and loved it too. We had some 911 type runs, but alot of transports between facilities. All good stuff though. You really get your feet wet.

I highly reccommend it!

CCL"Babe", BSN, RN · Sep 26, 2007

Yes,

I loved it. Unfortunately with my health issues I am no longer active. Went through fire school and vehicle rescue, EMT & Paramedic training. Volunteered both fire and ambulance. Would still do it if I could.

The fellowhip & family is equalled no where else.

NursingAgainstdaOdds · Sep 26, 2007

Thanks for all the great responses, everyone!