Recruiting members in a small community is a very difficult task. The time demand of becoming a volunteer fire fighter is to great for a lot of people.
We would like to take this time to talk to you about becoming a volunteer, and maybe you or someone you know may give some thought into becoming a volunteer fire fighter.In a study done in 1996, by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), In cooperation with the United States Fire Administration (USFA),The top reasons in all 50 states that people do not become volunteer fire fighters are:
Lack of time. 79%
Concerned that cannot honor the commitment. 40%Health / Physical problems. 20%No interest in volunteering. 19%Government should provide the service. 16%Don't know how to get involved. 12%Age (too old or too young). 12%Concern about leagal liability. 11%Don't have the necessary skills. 8%People should be paid for their time. 7%Too costly. 7%Not much has changed with these reason's since 1996, they are still the main reason's people do not volunteer.
There are three (3) root problems of volunteering that we would like to touch on.
Time Demands.Training Requirements.Increase In Call Volume.Volunteering in the fire services is one of the most time demanding volunteer activities today. Time demands come from all angles: Emergency Calls, Training, Meetings, Upkeep and Maintenance of the Station and Equipment and Fund Raising just to name a few. The surge in the number of two-income families since the early 1970's has meant that people have very little time to volunteer. Time is spent at work, with the kids, and maintaining the house and household. Spare time is an anomaly today, but the precious few moments people do find to volunteer is often too little to allow them to become active in the fire service. Those who do consider volunteering in the fire services today discover that the time requirements, particularly the start-up time demands associated with initial training, are too great.
Training time requirements have risen steadily in the past twenty-five years. In many departments until the mid-60's, new fire fighters were given minimal training (usually under 30 hours) before they were allowed to ride fire apparatus. Today however, most fire departments require volunteers to complete a 88 hour basic firefighting class before being able to fight fires. Departments such as ours that provide emergency medical care have an added 120 hours of basic emergency medical technician training that also may be taken.
Many volunteer fire departments have seen their volume of emergency calls increase between 25 and 75% since the early 1980's, this too has increased the time demands of volunteering. In the past ten years more and more responsibilities have been layed on the lap of the emergency service's. Hazardous Materials being the biggest part of that. Hazardous Materials training has been developed and delegated upon the emergency services, with even more specialized training requirements for volunteers and volunteer fire departments. The individual volume of work that a volunteer must handle today is greater than in past years because there are fewer members, leaving the remaining members to assume more responsibilities in all areas, from going on calls to administering the department. In addition there are greater demands of paperwork in todays fire services. Fire chiefs must ensure that everything from emergency responses to training is documented. A 10-15 minute report must be completed for each response. The paperwork today is also more detailed than in the past because of legal needs to provide more comprehensive documentation.
75% of the country is served by volunteer firefighters, communities rely on them as the first line of defense in almost any type of emergency, from fires to floods to medical emergencies and hazardous materials spills. Volunteers are the initial mitigators before arrival of state or federal back-up emergency response teams. So you can see, your time as a volunteer is needed.
In the past ten years, we have seen a rise in the number of women that have joined the emergency services.Here in Falls Creek we have women who are trained as fire fighters, EMT's and first responders, and we are very proud of them for taking on such a task.
The reasons people do volunteer are numerous, the top ten reasons are:
1. A need for a sense of belonging to something important.2. Desire for achievment.3. Increased responsibility.4. Desire to face a new challenge.5. Recognition.6. Desire for growth and development.7. Helping the community.8. Sensse of obligation to the community.9. Helping a fellow person in need.10. Possibly saving a life.And contrary to popular belief, wrapped up within this is the ability to have fun while volunteering your time.
Since we were kids we have always had a fascination with seeing the emergency services at work. We have always envied Firefighters, Emt's and Law Enforcement Officer's. How many people can say that when emergency apparatus, while under redlights and sirens, goes past our residents, we don't get up and look out the window and wonder "Whats going on". Or if you have the opportunity to see the fire department in action at a motor vehicle accident or working structure fire said, "I wish I could do that". Well you can. It just takes initiative on your part to join and become a volunteer.
Here in Falls Creek we have many unique opportunity's to be able to provide service's in a vast array of situation's. Between Falls Creek and Washington Township, (our primary coverage area's) We have Residential, Commercial and Industrial property's, Farms, an Airport, A Race Track, Railways, Interstate 80, State Highways, Waterways, and the residents of both to protect. Any situation at any given time may arise. Preparedness is key and many of our members are cross trained for just about any situation that arises. Below is a small list of some of the services we provide and train for, but our duties are not limited to just this list:
Fire Suppression.Structural Fire Suppression and Rescue.Aircraft Fire Suppression and Rescue.Vehicle Fire Suppression and Rescue.Bus Rescue.Emergency Medical Care.Hazardous Materials.Water Rescue and Recovery (with certified divers).Trench Rescue.High Angle Rescue.Rural Water Movemenet.Electrical Emergency's.Confined Space Emergency'sMutual Aide.The list goes on, but we think you can see the possibilities, and the training that is required and nescessary to perform on a daily bases. Thats why volunteering your time, no matter how much time that may be, is very important to the Emergency Service's. As incentive for volunteering with us, we pay for your training, and provide you with personalized personal protection equipment, (turn out gear) once you have completed your basic fire schooling. If training for these situations is not for you, there is also the need for help with fund raising projects and all the behind the scenes operations that come with the volunteer fire department. Please don't feel that your help is not wanted or needed, because it is. Volunteer today, because the self rewards tommorrow are far greater than you may think. And wonder, just for a moment, What if we didn't have volunteer's ?.
If you are 16 years old or older, Male or Female, and would like to join the Falls Creek Fire Department, Please contact any Falls Creek fireman and find out how you may become a volunteer.
To see some of the things we do, Please follow the links in the navigation column on the left.
Thank you,The Public Relation's Committee
