Volunteer Fire Department
Being part of a volunteer fire department is a dream of many men, and also women. Firefighters are considered to be modern day cowboys, universally respected and loved. Who does not want to be respected and loved, and help others at the same time!!
However, being part of a volunteer fire department is not suitable for everybody. First of all, you are volunteer, and not part of a paid fire department. So you have to have some other way of earning money too... And even if you can afford tobe a volunteer, you have to have some specific skills: you have to be flexible, being able to work together with other people from the volunteer fire department, you must be able to analyze the situations and react appropriately. Many firefighters from the volunteer fire department have paramedic training, which makes them invaluable in these types of situations.
How to become a firefighter varies from one volunteer fire department to another volunteer fire department. As a rule, you must have your high school diploma or GED, and many fire departments require a fire science degree from a community college. Most volunteer fire departments will also require that you receive emergency medical technician (EMT) training.