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...
The Mother’s Day Truth What She Wants isn’t in a Store…
Ask any mom what she wants for Mother’s Day and she’ll usually offer something small and manageable. Perhaps she’ll mention flowers, brunch or maybe a card the kids made at […]
Surviving a House Fire
With so many recent wildfires in the North State, alerts and evacuation orders are becoming common; but with a house fire, there is rarely advance warning. Sometimes it’s a quiet […]
For the Love of Singing: Through the Musical Door
What’s a team activity that doesn’t occur on a court or field? Singing. Mt. Shasta Elementary School’s music program and the Children’s Choir of Chico, though two very different arenas, […]
Working From Home
How to Manage Your Time When you work in an office, your gabby neighbor, needy family members, and others don’t expect you to be free during the day. Your inner […]
