Volunteer Fire Service
Volunteer firefighters provide fire suppression, rescue and emergency medical services in communities of all sizes. Volunteer firefighters, motivated to help others and serve their community, balance training and service with jobs and family obligations. Learn more about latest volunteer fire service news, access FireRescue1 training resources and explore funding and recruitment resources for volunteer fire departments.
With a new interim chief in place, firefighters and city leaders said they would work on communicating
Shawn Menear sustained burns in January and had surgery, but on Wednesday, the Middletown Volunteer Fire Department will escort him home
An honest and objective community assessment will highlight the many potential MCI events that could occur in any jurisdiction
The new station will allow for improved response times
“We have applied unsuccessfully for many grants for a new engine for the last 10 years,” one fire official said
Winter can be hard on a rig’s air brakes, but a little extra care will halt brake problems
Faced with the cost of insurance, departments will likely be forced to reduce the number of hours firefighters can volunteer or eliminate benefit programs
We need to take a closer look at why there was a rise in trauma-related firefighter fatalities
Good mayday training isn’t the sole domain of large metro fire departments; smaller department programs are effective, as this story shows
Incidents with exposed structures close to the burning structure require different attack strategies and tactics
Renting out fire trucks and crews may be one way to generate revenue and silence critics
William “Billy” Trapnell IV died unexpectedly as a result of a medical emergency while on-duty as a paramedic
He is accused of taking the stolen truck for a 10-mile joy ride before crashing it into a ditch
They don’t happen often, but when they do, railroad disasters can quickly overwhelm the best-prepared departments
As the first-on-scene officer, what would your incident action plan look like for this fire, and is the structure worth saving?
LaBryan J. Dotson, 30, was driving his motorcycle when he failed to negotiate a curve, crossed both lanes and traveled through a ditch before striking a concrete culvert
A firefighter used the department’s equipment and personnel to surprise his fiance with an elaborate ruse
Cory Haley, 24, was struck by two vehicles while jogging, and the fire department is helping his family buy a headstone “so that nobody would forget how good of a person he was”
Township official: “We’re trying to get away from the ‘good-old boy’ system”
Cop to medic: ‘This will be the worst day of your life’
The largest problem in the coming year is how departments deal with young firefighters
The firefighter was in his car heading toward the fire house when he saw something distant in the trees on fire
N.H. volunteer Steven Whitcomb tried to save 30-year-old Katie Hamilton without recognizing his youngest daughter
Bronze statue serves as a reminder of the four firefighters who were shot in the 2012 Christmas Eve ambush
Lt. Lidke was directing traffic as the apparatus returned to quarters when he collapsed
Of all the stories to come out of 2013, these seem to best explain the current state of the fire service
The same level of job protection should be afforded volunteer firefighters deployed to disasters as military personnel get
The extraction process uses butane or other flammables to cook ‘pipe bombs’
We asked our readers to share the most profound memories they made in service this year, and they came up with some great ones
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said extending the injury coverage would impose “an undue burden” on municipalities before they have the opportunity to opt out of its provisions
There were no shortage of funny things happening on fire and EMS calls this year; here are the best three and two really close runners up
Firefighter Jon Schondelmayer, 44, told crew members he was going home to get medicine and would return to the station shortly
Addressing these five broad issues should be a high priority for the volunteer fire service in the coming year