What does it mean to be a volunteer fire fighter?

There are many reasons one becomes a volunteer fire fighter and speaking as someone who has been with the department a little over a year I've seen and noticed a lot of changes within myself.

Perhaps the idea of driving down the road with lights and sirens is a rush, maybe it's the idea of saving someone, or maybe the thought of running into burning buildings set off a charge of adrenaline within you? One thing for sure is that I have felt all of these things only to realize that the feeling you get when you truly help bring order to a chaotic situation and help someone is truly indescribable.

Some people will call you a hero, some will call you "just a volunteer", and we will call you Fire Fighter. If you join us you join Rattlesnake Fire and Rescue a name carries a lot of weight and the respect shown to us by surrounding departments is not earned easily. You will never be paid for what you do; the time you put in will be your own and all we can do is thank you for it. We can guarantee you experiences that you will never find anywhere else but we have to ask ... do you want to be a fire fighter?

If you answered yes, then let's move on to the next step. The first thing we need to know is whether or not you meet ALL of the following requirements?

• Are you 18 or older and in good physical health?

• Do you live within the Rattlesnake Fire Protection District?

• Do you have a valid driver's license?

• Do you have a clean driving record?

• You have NOT been convicted of any felony crimes?

What do we expect from you?

We ask that you consider this decision very carefully and take your commitment seriously. Time and dedication is all we require. Your life, our lives, and the lives of the people you help are all affected by your level of commitment. To ensure success the following time commitments can be expected:

Time and Training

• One Medical CE per month (at night during the week)

• One Medical training per month (at night during the week)

• One Fire training per month (at night during the week)

• One all day Fire training per month (Saturday)

• One maintenance night per month

• One Cistern check per month

• Annually you must have attended 140 hours of training total

* Training is divided into one night per week usually, and one Saturday per month. For example (January 2007):

Where does all this time go?

We realize the size of the commitment and as such take your time and our time very seriously. While the list below is not an exhaustive list it should give you an idea on what you can expect, where your time will be spent, and what you will learn during your time with Rattlesnake.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Ever wonder how we can stand the heat and not get out of the kitchen? Bunker gear or PPE as we call it like anything requires training. You will learn how to care for your gear, how to wear it safely, how to move in it, why it works, and everything else you need to survive in a fire.

Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) - A key component in your fire fighting arsenal the SCBA unit will keep you alive, and even sound off an alarm should you need help. You will be trained on how to use, assemble, and breathe through an artificial system. Once completed we will take you through the maze where you'll learn how to move through a smoke filled environment using only your skills and senses to get you through a variety of obstacles.

Extrication - From time to time you will be called to respond to motor vehicle accidents (MVA) or traffic accidents (TA). Some of these situations will require vehicle stabilization (such as a roll over); some will require "rolling the dash" where we use hydraulics to bend the front portion of the car out of the passenger compartment, and some will require the Phoenix aka "Jaws of Life". You will learn all of these skills and much, much more.

Fire Behavior Like any living creature fire has distinct characteristics that will give you clues as to what it's doing, how it's moving, and how hot it's about to get. Utilizing burn buildings from surrounding organizations we are able to host classes to teach you what to look for and how to survive.

Water Hydraulics - Being a fire fighter means that you are an expert "water mover". On a fire scene we have two main goals. The first and foremost goal is to ensure the safety of our crew, and any civilians involved. Second, it is our job to ensure that we move enough water to contain and extinguish the fire in the quickest and most effective way possible. We'll teach you how to calculate flow, pressure, resistance, and everything you need to know to become an expert water mover.

Equipment Operations - Whether you're freeing someone from a vehicle with the Phoenix, or cutting a hole in a roof with the K-Saw for ventilation, equipment operations is a key component in your skill set. At Rattlesnake we use an unlimited number of tools and devices; you will be trained on each device, how to use it effectively, and how to maintain it.

Emergency Vehicle Operations - Each vehicle we have has unique characteristics and abilities. We encourage all fire fighters to learn and be able to operate each emergency vehicle. As part of your training you will be shown everything from the medic to the big engines.

Medical Emergencies - 85% of our calls are medical in nature and while we have several EMT's on the department it is everyone's responsibility to have a basic understanding of trauma and medical emergencies. We will teach you the skills you need to know to save a life. If this is an area you are drawn to we will arrange CPR, First Responder, or EMT training providing certain requirements are met.

Patient Care - In every emergency we will have patients and the care of these patients is paramount to our success and effectiveness as a unit. We will teach you how to relate to patients, care for the injured, and how to identify and treat secondary patients such as a child who just witnessed an accident, or a mother who is watching us work on her son.

Physical and Mental Requirements

You must be able to perform the following tasks:

• Pull 200' of charged 1/34" hose 200 feet

• Successfully climb up & down a ladder with bunker gear and SCBA

• Drag or carry a 180 lb dummy 100 feet

* Upon acceptance to the department you will need to have a complete physical. All associated costs will be covered by RFPD.

Unfortunately we cannot give you a list for mental requirements, however, we have created a scenario of a call that we responded to. Please read this scenario and acknowledge and evaluate all the feelings you experience. How you feel after reading this should give you a fairly accurate idea as to what you can expect. Approach this openly and honestly for you are the only person who can evaluate your emotions.

10 Minutes in our world...
(MS Word doc)

What about emergency response?

Rattlesnake Fire Rescue responds to roughly 200 calls per year. We are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there are no holidays. With that being said we don't expect you to respond to every call. There will be times where you are out of district or simply can't respond. What we do ask is that you respond when possible. You are part of a team and each additional hand on site could mean a world of difference. There's a reason why someone called 911, please keep that in mind.

What's in it for me?

The rewards for being a fire fighter with Rattlesnake are many; however, they start with your first step and your commitment. We will provide you with all the free training you can handle on any of the associated disciplines, you'll have access to the finest equipment in the county, great gear (professional and casual), and we'll even buy you lunch every Saturday when you come to training.

Seriously, what's in it for me?

Pride. You will do a job many choose not to do, you will save people, and you will make someone's day a little better than when you first found them. You will bring smiles to children's faces, you will stop the tears of parents, and you will comfort the family members of the ones you just couldn't help. You will be a hero, a team member, a friend, and a valuable member of the community ... you will be a fire fighter.

You may have noticed that we don't use the word volunteer. Over the years Rattlesnake Fire Rescue has worked extremely hard to shed the volunteer image that most departments have. From our Chief to our "Probies" we are professionals and our dedication and commitment to excellence speaks for itself. At Rattlesnake we aren't volunteer fire fighters, we're fire fighters that just happen to be volunteers.

Rattlesnake Volunteer Form

Please print out the following application for your use. Once completed you may either mail it to us, or drop it off at Station 51 located at 46220 Coal Creek Dr, Parker, CO 80138.

Rattlesnake Volunteer Form (Word DOC)