Volunteer vs. Career

Understanding the fundamental differences between volunteer and career firefighting, and how to effectively position yourself for a transition to a full-time role.

So you're a volunteer, part time, or paid-on-call firefighter. You're probably thinking: "I know a thing or two about the fire service. I've seen my fair share of calls, I know the rigs and the tools. I've done the public events, the weekly training, the station banter. What else does a career department want? I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!"

That may be true. You might be just as experienced as the next career guy, and that's hard to argue in some cases. But here's the fundamental difference - your experience ends when the call ends. Hundreds of part time firefighters will be applying against you for a few spots. There are more volunteer/composite departments in Ontario than there are full-time/career departments. But there's a very tangible difference between the experience of a part time firefighter compared to a full timer. If your goal is to make this thing your bread and butter, you HAVE to understand this.

Things like station duties, crew dynamics, your relationship with administration/the city, and even your level of professionalism can drastically change once you receive that job offer. A lot of people say things like "you're moving to the big leagues", which has some truth to it but it's also misleading. The fact is your level of dedication and your perspective on what the job is will change. And hanging on to your idea of the firefighting world from a part-time perspective will do nothing but harm you during the application and interview phase of your career. If you want to separate yourself from the hundreds, if not thousands, of other experienced part time firefighters applying for full time positions you have to sell yourself as someone that's willing and capable of molding yourself to the full-time lifestyle and atmosphere.

Day-to-Day

The fundamental part-time firefighter experience revolves around weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly station training and responding to calls from home. They're the same calls you'll encounter in the full-time world. You go out for beers after if you have a good crew. But one fundamental difference that's missing for a part-time firefighter is the shift work aspect of the job. In part-time service, after the call is done, you put the apparatus back in service, go home, and finish dinner. In the full time world, you're right back into the fray. Once you walk into the station at the beginning of your shift, you're in service. And you stay that way for 24 hours. Here's some big aspects of the job that this changes:

Crew Relationships

In the part-time world, you never know who will be on the truck with you. You get to know everyone at your station quite well over the years, but you're essentially on a different crew every time you respond. When you make the switch to full time, you're stuck with the same 4 to 8 people for 24 hours straight. You work with them every shift, for better or for worse. Maintaining a good relationship with your crew is absolutely key. You need to learn to work well with them, what your place is, and what each other's strengths and weaknesses are. That means learning to adapt to anyone's personality and the quirks that come with it. You may not typically get along with some of the personalities on your crew, but you're a professional now. Act Like It. You don't have a choice. You cook, clean, exercise, sleep, and train together for years. Think of it as having a handful of new roommate's for 2 days a week. The main benefit to this is there is no guessing while responding to a call with your crew. You've all done this before as a team. Embrace it and love it for the truly unique experience that it is.

Call Volume

Depending on where you're coming from, the volume of calls is the biggest change for most part-timers. I can speak from experience. I was a part-timer in Milton when I started my full time career. I would respond to an average of 2-4 calls a week with the Volly's. Now, with Vaughan, I respond to anywhere from 4 to 12 calls a day while on shift. Some stations in Toronto will respond to 25+ calls a day! I respond to more calls in Vaughan in a month than I will for a whole year in Milton. This is what it does to you: it dilutes the experience. You'll end up forgetting more calls than you've been on in the last month. It all becomes normal. It almost turns it into just a job. This is the attitude you will walk into when joining a full time crew. There's two sides to this coin - NEVER lose your enthusiasm for the job and always remember why you tried so hard to get it. And the other side - it's still just a job. Hold it on a pedestal, but not too high. It's the best job in the world, but still, just a job. Approach each day with confidence and calmness and you'll fit right into the full-time world.