Wendy Dickens, MSW, is Executive Director of First 5 Shasta and a volunteer firefighter. She believes in the importance of starting fire prevention awareness early, and teaching young children the basics. Photo by Ashley Moore.
Becoming a volunteer firefighter is an excellent way to pay forward into the community. It takes hard work, training and commitment. The first step is to contact your area fire department to see if they have a volunteer program. For instance, Shasta County Fire works with Cal Fire to train and certify volunteer firefighters.
I have found the opportunity to be difficult at times, as well as a source of many wonderful opportunities to serve and learn in the community.
On medical emergency calls, volunteer firefighters help assess patients until the ambulance arrives and assist the professional EMTs when needed. On the scene of traffic accidents, they can be called on to help with patient assessment, extraction from vehicles, cleanup, fire suppression and any other tasks that are immediately needed.
Working on wildland fire operations may require volunteers to help create a fire line with tools, put out hose lines, or continue to assess the area for hot spots that could turn into an active fire again. Hiking into the wilderness is one of the fun parts of being on this type of assignment but can also be physically demanding.
Posted in: Community
Comment Policy: All viewpoints are welcome, but comments should remain relevant. Personal attacks, profanity, and aggressive behavior are not allowed. No spam, advertising, or promoting of products/services. Please, only use your real name and limit the amount of links submitted in your comment.
You Might Also Like...
Make Great Gifts Any Time of Year
Bath Salt Bonanza When the time for teacher gifts rolled around again, my daughter and I decided to try our hands at bath salts. And I’m so glad we […]
A Rhumba Of Rattlesnakes – New Children’s Book by Kristen Lape
A prickle of porcupines? A lounge of Iguanas? A delightful new children’s book, featuring whimsical yet scientifically accurate illustrations of animals, is written in a fun A-Z format that teaches the […]
Kids Can Help Save the Honey Bees
Summer is a great time to adopt an important cause. The world honey bee population has been going down since 2006. Commercial food producers and people all over the world […]
Dancers Shine in April at Three Showcase Events
Come be inspired! April boasts three weekends of events that showcase North State dancers and choreographers in performances at three locations: On April 5 and 6, Keeping Dance Alive! at […]
