VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS: Fire School Practical Testing

Volunteer Firefighters, both men and women, undergo the same training as paid firefighters in big cities. The difference between the two is that volunteer firefighters, like those we have in Orange, Bethany and Woodbridge, do not work shifts. They have regular paying jobs and the rest of the time, they are on-call.

Some, who work nearby, even leave work to respond to a fire emergency.

Patch joined the most recent group of regional fire department recruits during their practical skills testing at the Fairfield Fire Training School on May 7. That day was particularly warm, near 80 degrees, and a few recruits had “gone down” due to dehydration, but all eight of the firefighters from our tri-towns held strong and sweat it out through the end of the day.

All of them also survived the stress of completing and passing the written test necessary to become certified active firefighters.

On Wednesday, June 15, the Class of 2011, along with their instructors, family members and friends, gathered at the Woodbridge Firehouse for the graduation ceremony and to be sworn into their respective departments.

Patch is presenting this information so that residents will realize that volunteer firefighters are not just weekend warriors, and to show how much work it takes to become a firefighter. We’re introducing you to different members who are willing to share their personal stories of why they joined the department and what they do in their professional lives when they aren’t responding to fire calls.

Our volunteer firefighters are a highly trained and dedicated bunch. They leave their homes in the middle of the night, in single digit temperatures, to respond to your home when your carbon monoxide detector goes off, or to fight a brush fire on a 95-degree day.

Even when they are volunteering at their own carnival, they will rush out to respond to a call for a house fire or overturned vehicle where someone is in need.

Once a year, they may have a special dinner where their wives and girlfriends are invited, and 8 times out of 10, the firefighters will have to leave — sometimes for a few minutes for a false alarm, other times for several hours in the event of a more serious situation.

There is more to a volunteer firefighter than the multi-layered gear and fire trucks, they sacrifice their personal time and holiday events to help a neighbor or complete stranger.

Look to Patch for more installments on this series about volunteer firefighters.