2 answers
Brayden
Student
Oak Harbor, Ohio
10
Questions
Asked
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What is the difference between a regular firefighter and a volunteer?
My uncle was a volunteer firefighter, but I never understood what the difference was.
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2 answers
Philip Gauthier
Nuclear Plant Work Week Manager
19
Answers
Prairieville, Louisiana
Updated
Philip’s Answer
Professional Firefighters are usually paid Fulltime positions with around the clock staffing (people live and sleep at the fire station). Paid Fire Departments are usually found in cities and large towns that have a large enough budget (tax base) to afford this. My Father was a Paid Firefighter at a nuclear plant when I was young.
Volunteer Fire Departments are staffed by Volunteer Firefighters who normally are not paid. These Firefighters respond to Fire Calls whenever they have free time and can respond. These Volunteers usually have to respond to a minimum number of calls each month/year to stay and active member. Volunteer Departments are usually located in suburban or rural areas. My father was a Volunteer Fire Captain while he worked as a power company supervisor.
Couple of exceptions:
1) I had a cousin that worked at a "Volunteer" Fire Department that paid each member for the number of calls they responded to. But they didn't live at the station.
2) My Fire Department (where I volunteered as a Junior Fire Fighter) had a bunk-in program. That provided free room and board to college students that lived at the station and responded to calls outside of class.
All fire departments are different. I would check their websites for more information.
Volunteer Fire Departments are staffed by Volunteer Firefighters who normally are not paid. These Firefighters respond to Fire Calls whenever they have free time and can respond. These Volunteers usually have to respond to a minimum number of calls each month/year to stay and active member. Volunteer Departments are usually located in suburban or rural areas. My father was a Volunteer Fire Captain while he worked as a power company supervisor.
Couple of exceptions:
1) I had a cousin that worked at a "Volunteer" Fire Department that paid each member for the number of calls they responded to. But they didn't live at the station.
2) My Fire Department (where I volunteered as a Junior Fire Fighter) had a bunk-in program. That provided free room and board to college students that lived at the station and responded to calls outside of class.
All fire departments are different. I would check their websites for more information.
Goodera Careervillage
63
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Goodera’s Answer
Volunteer firefighters are not paid, and tend to do the role outside of their normal job or day to day. Often times volunteer firefighters will be at home, and get paged/alerted to go to the station or an emergency when required. The majority of the work done is the same, however.
A paid firefighter treats it like a full-time job - they will be at a Firehall regularly based on scheduled shifts and respond to calls direct from the firehall. This allows a quicker response time with members being able to suit up and get into a fire truck almost immediately.
A paid firefighter treats it like a full-time job - they will be at a Firehall regularly based on scheduled shifts and respond to calls direct from the firehall. This allows a quicker response time with members being able to suit up and get into a fire truck almost immediately.