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WHY I AM A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER
By Steve Hirsch
WHY I AM A VOLUNTEER
FIREFIGHTER
In the volunteer fire service, our patients are most often people we know, people we are related to, people we work with or people who attend our church.
Steve Hirsch is training officer for Sheridan County Fire District # 1, Thomas County Fire District #4, and Grinnell Fire Department, all of which are 100% volunteer fire departments. He is also the chair and Kansas director on the National Volunteer Fire Council and is currently first vice chair of the Kansas State Firefighters Association where he served as secretary from 2000-2008.
Outside of my family and my faith, nothing has been more rewarding than my career as a volunteer firefighter. Like many who have chosen to serve our communities in this capacity, it’s a generational occupation for me. In 1963, a year after I was born, my father started the fire district in my hometown in north central Kansas, so being a volunteer firefighter just came naturally. In my own fire department, Sheridan County Fire District #1 in Kansas, we have a mix of those who are second or third generation volunteers working beside those who are the first in their families to step up to this noble profession.
You might wonder why I say that being a volunteer firefighter is rewarding – in many ways, it’s hard to explain.
THERE IS SOMETHING VERY GRATIFYING ABOUT SEEING REGULAR PEOPLE DOING SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY – HELPING THEIR NEIGHBORS IN A TIME OF NEED.
And in most parts of the United States, those who answer the call are, in fact, volunteers providing these life-saving services for free.
The people who call 9-1-1 for help are generally having the worst possible days of their lives. Something is on fire, their car has been involved in a collision, or they’re experiencing a medical emergency. The person doesn’t know, or perhaps even care, whether the folks who show up are firefighters collecting a paycheck or serving for free. Those callers care only that those who respond are professional, competent, and compassionate. I am proud of my crew and of the citizens from all over the nation who have decided there is nothing more noble than to help their neighbors.
I have personally been on scenes where the recovery of a deceased person from a house fire brought a family closure, where we extricated a child from a motor vehicle accident, and where a person was packaged for transport for advanced medical care and treatment. In the volunteer fire service, these patients are most often people we know, people we are related to, people we work with or people who attend our church. This is first and foremost why the job of a volunteer firefighter is so rewarding. Next on the list is being part of a team of people committed to their community. I find that if someone is involved in the volunteer fire service, they are often also involved in other community organizations, their church in town, in youth activities, and may even hold a local elected office. The people who serve together on my volunteer firefighting team are my closest friends. They are people I trust implicitly, and they are the ones I joke, train, and even cry with from time to time. This is a team sport, and the members of our team do this work because they know how important it is to their community and to their friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers.
The beauty of the volunteer fire service is that it is composed of people who have valuable life skills. They might be farm equipment repair men, insurance agents, or public works employees, and like all of us, there are huge demands on their time. They do this job because they know how important it is to serve their community.
This past year has been painfully difficult for people around the globe and here at home, but those in the volunteer fire service don’t have the option to stop responding. There are still heart attacks, fires, and car wrecks.
I have served in the volunteer fire service for more than 30 years and, for the last two, have been Chairman of the National Volunteer Fire Council. I couldn’t be prouder of the people who step up every day to make a big difference in the lives of others.
For those who already serve their community in this way, I thank you for all that you do and hope you find as much pride and reward in this line of work as I do.
