volunteering for FD at 17?

[Caduceus]

I live in a pretty rural area and the local FD is pretty small. I'm thinking about calling and seeing if I can volunteer even though I'm only 17. Obviously there'd be a lot of restrictions in what I might be able to do, but does anyone think its possible that they'll take me even tho they don't have a cadet program (or anything else for minors)?

And if so, what would be the best way for me to contact them about it? See as the station is unmanned.

[ERDoc]

Their station is always staffed, you just have to call them at 911. You will get a whole bunch to come to your house. Talk about personal service. OK, don't actually do that (I know I don't have to tell you that). Call and leave a message, they recruit people somehow. Whether or not they will take you, it is impossible for any of us to say. That is entirely up to them. I can't hurt to try. Worse case, you wait until you turn 18.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I think you answered your question in this sentence but does anyone think its possible that they'll take me even tho they don't have a cadet program (or anything else for minors)?

If they don't have a cadet program or anything else for minors then I'd bet one of my paychecks that they aren't going to make one up just for you no matter how cute you are. No offense intended. I mean you can try to talk to them if you want but there is probably a reason why they don't, it's probably because they are small and the station is unmanned.

The best thing I think you should do is this, get a scanner, listen to it and when you hear a fire call, go to the station, wait till the call is over, wait for them to come back and then go up to the captain or the chief, he will be one of the guys, probably the one with the cleanest shirt, you will just have to ask to speak to him and then ask him the question you are asking us. He can probably put you in touch with the chief or the administration which might just be him. Be prepared for rejection or be prepared for a welcome committee because they might be shocked that a 17 year old female wants to be a fire fighter.

I wish you luck.

[paramedicmike]

Call and leave a message, they recruit people somehow. Whether or not they will take you, it is impossible for any of us to say. That is entirely up to them. I can't hurt to try. Worse case, you wait until you turn 18.

This. Call the station and see what they say.

Or, if you happen to notice cars in the lot when passing by stop in and talk with them.

Or, if you happen to know when they do their weekly training stop over and talk with them then.

[island emt]

check with your town office and find a phone number for the chief.

Call and explain that you would like to join the Dept.

That will at least get you a feeling for how well they will be willing to accept you into the fold.

As a minor you cannot be allowed into IDLH environments by Dept of labor rules , but can help maintain equipment and trucks, participate in classroom trainings, and get to know how they operate.

They may or not be willing to let you get involved as a minor, but most smart chiefs want to cultivate teens into becoming Volunteers to fill the ranks as the old guys retire or step down from interior duties

[Caduceus]

I will do this and then post back in here to let you guys know the results!! Thanks very much!!

[BAYAMedic]

"The best thing I think you should do is this, get a scanner, listen to it and when you hear a fire call, go to the station, wait till the call is over, wait for them to come back and then go up to the captain or the chief, he will be one of the guys, probably the one with the cleanest shirt, you will just have to ask to speak to him and then ask him the question you are asking us."

Holy run on sentence Ruffles!

Rather than purchasing a scanner, look at the broadcastify.com and click on your site, county and see if your local fire dispatch is streaming. A lot of places have switched to a digital narrowband frequency that the entry level scanners wouldn't pick up. There are a ton on eBay that should work and Baofeng brand are all in the $40 range.

As I told you in the other thread, I started at 16. There wasn't a structured program or a policy and procedure book. As time went on, and my experience and knowledge base broadened, my scope of duties expanded. That Department's insurance wouldn't allow a driver under 21 or 25, so on a fire truck I rode in the hydrant seat so when we got to the fire, I would jump out with the hydrant kit and would attach and flow water on the engineers command. Then I would work with the incident commander, manage the accountability/password board,scribing and watching the air clock to know when the interior crew is getting low on their Air tank pressure.

[Just Plain Ruff]

"The best thing I think you should do is this, get a scanner, listen to it and when you hear a fire call, go to the station, wait till the call is over, wait for them to come back and then go up to the captain or the chief, he will be one of the guys, probably the one with the cleanest shirt, you will just have to ask to speak to him and then ask him the question you are asking us."

Holy run on sentence Ruffles!

YEAH, that was typed in while driving down the road via my voice recognition software on my state of the art samsung galaxy s6 cell phone. I hate voice recognition.

[paramedicmike]

YEAH, that was typed in while driving down the road via my voice recognition software on my state of the art samsung galaxy s6 cell phone. I hate voice recognition.

We use Dragon to dictate notes into our EMR. You have to be careful with proof reading the chart before signing it. Some of Dragon's interpretations can be pretty interesting.

[Just Plain Ruff]

you have to be careful of my phones autocorrect voice recognition blood typing software as well.