When I worked at (major NW airplane manufacturer) the internal fire department gave extinguisher training every six months. Good bosses, like mine, insisted the entire department attend as often as we liked.

They usually dumped gasoline into a shallow tank of water, then lit it and let us go at it one at a time.

I've been on calls where I am the only one responding, and I helplessly tried with one other member to help a woman who had a car wreck when there was no ambulance and I still believe that all we needed was a dammed airway to save her. She left two kids, 5 and 8. That call sticks with me because it was a just lousy hunk of plastic that we didn't have, for lack of a crew nearby.

There are three things in that article that you need to think about:

1. Between 1984 and 2006, the number of volunteers nationwide fell by 8 percent, or nearly 74,000, according to information from the National Fire Protection Association.

During the same period, the number of emergency calls to paid and volunteer departments doubled. The statistics don't break down the increase based on department, but volunteer chiefs say they're busier than ever.

...and the reporting requirements for each call has increased INCREDIBLY. We do something called an NFIRS report for each call. Imagine applying for a home loan every time you came home. It's not quite that bad, but it is about 6 screens of data entry. For each call.

2. "I hate to admit it, but there's been more times this year where other departments have had to help us out," said Bill Fortune, the fire chief in Ogallala, Neb., about 20 miles from Big Springs. Of the 75 volunteer positions on the Ogallala department, only 31 are filled.

Every one of our structural fire calls and auto extrications involves at least 2 additional departments. There's no shame in mutual aid.

3. Small town chiefs have also dreamed up their own promotions, from paying volunteers a nominal fee, to rewarding firefighters with golf outings, movie tickets or banquets, to providing services such as free baby-sitting.

We can't afford that, but we have started to reimburse members for mileage and some members (fire police) for hours spent on scene.

None of it is working.

To my point: Don't have a fire, especially during the day. Get medical training, at least to basic first aid, and keep it up to date.

...and be careful with your training. Seriously.

It's funny, I live in NYC, so we have paid first responders, but 20 years ago, I lived on Long Island. I looked into joining the local department when I moved out there

I was told that before I could join, even as a probie, I had to live in the town a minimum of 12 months. Then I had to do fire school, and 6 months of "cleaning amd maintainence of the building" before I would be allowed to go on my first run.. At which point I stood up, told the cheif where he could stick his hose nozzle, and left

Long Island is not like the rest of the USA, in the same way Mars is not like Earth. Long Island volunteer fire companies have more money than they need, more bad attitude than they earn and more waste than the worst government boondoggle agency you can think of. While I'm struggling to afford a lousy $900 for a laptop for the company, Long Island fire companies send their members on $20,000 cruises to "discuss issues they face raising funds". Don't put Long Island in the same category as the rest of American volunteer fire companies. They are nothing like us.

I grew up on Long Island, lived there from the time I was 5 until I was in my mid 20's, and again from the time I was 27 until I was 31. I've earned the right to say that.

Thats really bad. Our situation is fortunatly a lot better. Somebody has to do some explaining when a engine goes out without the needed 6 man crew, but generally there isn't any problems with crew members during priority calls. But there are occationally are problems with non-priority calls, like free standing trash containers, etc. I really can't imagine such a situation happing in mine country. I'm really suprised such thing can happend without public outcry and politicians acting up.

I don't know if I would have the balls to say that to the guy who's supposed to come put my house fire out.
I work in a hospital, the one I would end up in if something "bad" happened to me. I make sure not to [censored] off the people who will hold my life in their hands even if I have a justifiable complaint.

I'm not trying to make this political, but does anyone see the war in Iraq as contributing to a lack of personnel available to serve as volunteer firefighters? I only ask because the last few EMRs I've run into all had experience in Afghanistan and (the first go around) in Iraq. If they're over there, they can't be here - and if they're continually on active duty and being called up for duty, it kind of dissuades them from volunteer firefighter service.

Volunteers of all types, anyone who serves, they deserve our support.

I lived in an apartment, so they were going to put the building out - I had good (VERY good) content insurance - hell, when I saw him at the funding drive a few weeks later and they approched the car with their had out I told him when to stick it with a universal gesture, and said my money would go to the deparment in the NEXT town. Oh - BTW, that department didn't do EMS/Medical - just fire. They was a seperate Ambulance Corps, who got a hefty donation. They DIDN'T have an attitude, and I spent some time stuffing envelopes for them


Marty
Turns out that now days, even if they have more money than anyone (and yes, I know the 3 equipment standards - Normal, Deluxe, Long Island) they are HURTING for people, MOST departments have had to hire daytime staff!