Interested in Joining the Township Fire Department?
Are you interested in becoming a member of Township Fire Department (TFD)? Are you mechanically inclined, have any prior firefighting experience, or have any special abilities that you believe will benefit TFD? Each town has different opportunities in terms of how many firefighters their particular station needs. If there is not an opening now at a particular fire station, there may be one in the near future. These vacancies occur when someone retires from the fire department, moves away from the community, or leaves for personal reasons. Whatever the case, we are always looking for a pool of dependable firefighters. Some applicants may be able to join TFD quickly while others may have to wait for an opening. However, before you consider filling out an application, here are some of the requirements that you should think about:
It can be a large time commitment especially when you first join the department. There will be several night classes to take at Chippewa Valley Technical College, Emergency Services. Classes include firefighting tactics, building construction, hazardous materials, vehicle extrication, and confined space classes. These classes use textbook material along with "hands on" experiences. Then there are the monthly station meetings and of course, the fire calls that always seem to happen at times that are not very convenient.
You need a valid driver's license with very few driving citations. You can understand the responsibility of driving a fire truck to and from an emergency scene, and the safe driving habits that are needed.
Discipline is critical, especially during training or during an actual call. At the scene, you will be given an assignment to carry out. Once that is completed, you will perform another function as directed by an officer. You may not "freelance" as you may unknowingly put yourself or others into harms way. We also want to be able to keep track of our firefighters during an incident.
You must be able to keep your emotions in check. We are not doing our residents a service if our emotions get involved. Plus, we end up losing the focus of our goal. However, after a major event, there will be an opportunity afterward to talk about what happened at a "Critical Incident Stress Debriefing" meeting.
No criminal history. Our customers put a lot of trust in us when they allow us to enter their home or place of business sometimes without their knowledge. We may handle their valuables, antiques, money or special memories from time to time and the integrity of the department is on the line each and every time. We do our best to protect possessions and property, and do not want anything to happen to them. If something happens to someone's possessions, it calls into question the integrity of the entire Fire Department. We have a professional image and must continue to maintain it.
This is not a money making proposition. It will not replace your regular occupation or income. We are paid twice a year. Our top firefighters earn a small hourly stipend per fire call. This biannual paycheck will hopefully cover the cost of gas that you use to get to training and fire calls. Applicants should feel a need to help the community, not be seeking an additional income.
Not all TFD applicants are accepted. Our needs vary from station to station. Perhaps you live to far away from the station, or maybe you had a criminal infraction that does not represent us well. The reasons could be many and varied. Each applicant is considered on their individual merit and may or may not be accepted.
Feel free to call 834-6868 or contact any member of TFD for more information, or sit in on a meeting or a training session. If you are still interested in joining TFD you are welcome to fill out an application. Your application will be reviewed by the Personnel Committee and will then be forwarded to the Board of Directors with a recommendation for either approval or denial.
Click here to download an application to join our organization
Who Fights Fires?
Volunteer Firefighter, n.1. a person who offers his or her services, takes endless hours of training, answers calls anything of the day or night, fights fires, rescues victims, responds to hazardous material spills, extricates people from car accidents, assists in all types of emergencies. 2. Hero. 3. Angel. 4. One who is willing, at all times, to give the ultimate sacrifice of his or her life to ensure the safety of others.
Volunteer firefighters are a breed unto themselves. Whoever heard of a person who is willing to be on twenty-four hour duty for the privilege of protecting a neighbor’s property? Whoever heard of anyone who will leave their job to go to the scene of an emergency, sometimes ruining their clothes, or come back smelling of smoke, neglect their job, risk their life, and exhaust themselves physically, not because of the money, but because they believe in serving the community in which they themselves reside. Whoever heard of a person who would give up their favorite TV show, postpone a project they have been planning, sacrifice an evening with their family, just to attend a meeting with their fellow firefighters? Whoever heard, in this day and age, of a person who is crazy enough to worry about the “other guy”?
Take a look around the fire station and you’ll see people just like yourself who are willing to join a volunteer fire department. These volunteers are bankers, teachers, contractors, business owners who work odd hours just like you, but they have decided to make time for the fire department. If no one made the time for the fire department, who would protect your family and your property?
An individual choosing to be a Volunteer Firefighter should realize that firefighting methods undergo continual change, revision and improvement in order to successfully control hazardous fire situations. In other words, firefighting and training are always changing with new technology. Modern firefighting is recognized as a technical protective science of extreme importance to the welfare of any community. It is a demanding profession for those who follow it but it returns an exciting and needed service to the community and bestows a feeling of self-worth for those who are involved in it. Find out if firefighting is for you!
