Requirements To Become A Firefighter

Wis. Officials Look at the Future of Firefighting

With an economy mired in the Great Recession, governments on all levels are facing tough questions and decisions.

Among those difficult debates is public safety and what lies ahead.

Local officials were recently asked to peer into their crystal balls to see where fire departments will be in the next five to 10 years. There appear to be two answers: either consolidation/regionalization or more sharing of services.

In either scenario, though, there appears to be a movement toward more fulltime employees to staff departments that are serving ever-growing areas.

Fire departments are an expensive investment. Firetrucks can run well over half a million dollars, ambulances over $100,000 and fire stations in the millions. The days of true volunteers, men and women who literally offered their services to be firefighters for free, have virtually disappeared.

Today, the man or woman who comes to the scene of a horrific crash or raging inferno is often not a neighbor who lives down the block, but who instead lives in a community miles away.

Slow move to full time David Beguhn, the public safety director for the City of Oconomowoc, oversees a fire department with three fulltime members and 47 paid-oncall members.

"We're doing pretty well with paid-on-call. We have a large population base to draw from," he said. Some of the city's paid-on-call members also work with other departments such as Stone Bank or Lake Country, Beguhn added.

Some of the paid-on-call members have been there 15 to 20 years, he said.

"A lot of younger members use this as an experience to move into a full-time (fire department) job," he said.

A major difference from years past and today is the required training and mandates for fire and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel. "It take a lot of time and energy," Beguhn said.

The Pewaukee Fire Department covers both the City and Village of Pewaukee, and to keep up with the growth the department now has 15 fulltime members with five command staff, and 45 paid-on-call members. When Pewaukee Fire Chief Kevin Bierce first joined the department in 1979 it was all part time, with a large local membership.

In the last 16 years, the department has slowly added more full-time employees who do not live in the area. Bierce said he has had members commute from as far as Madison and Kenosha.

There is "a heavy demand use" in the Pewaukees, and "residents want and deserve a prompt response time and service," Bierce said.

How to become a volunteer firefighter | How to become a firefighter

Becoming a volunteer firefighter is a great way to serve the public and very gratifying and significant way give back to the community. It requires grueling training, extensive hard work and many hours of training. For decades, small communities have been depending on volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies and give assistance to career fire fighters. Although they receive a little to no monetary compensation, the chance to serve the community is already an accomplishment.

Eligibility Requirements on How to become a Volunteer Firefighter At least 18 years old a valid driver’s license high school diploma or equivalent schooling live or work in or near the community the fire department is located physically fit How to become a volunteer firefighter- Application Process

There are a few things that needs to be done on how to become a volunteer firefighter. First, contact your local fire department and ask if they are in need of a volunteer firefighter. If yes, talk to the station officer and express your interest and inquire for the requirements needed and the application process. If they are not offering volunteer opportunities, try to find another station nearby. Bear in mind that volunteer firefighters respond to emergencies from their vicinity and therefore you must have a clean driving record and must be available within ten minutes.

Aside from the excruciating hours of training, volunteer firefighters often do the same tasks as their career firefighters counterparts do like lifting heavy objects, crawling into tight spaces and moving quickly in a heavy protective gear and equipments thus volunteer firefighter aspirants must then assess whether they are physically capable to perform the required tasks.

The next step on how to become a volunteer firefighter . This is usually a 110 hour training that involves activities inside and outside the classroom.

If you are considering to pursue a career in firefighting, becoming a volunteer first is a great way to get an understanding on what the work entails. It also provides you hands on experiences and is an excellent stepping stone into the firefighting career.