BECOMING A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER: WHAT IT TAKES

It’s your first time walking into the firehouse; you’ve submitted your application and now the officers of your new Company would like to sit down to discuss your expectations, and theirs. We’ve heard many reasons why people joined the fire department, from wanting to help their community and neighbors, to wanting to drive a big red fire truck. No matter the reason one thing is certain, and it’s the same for everyone, you will be a “Probie” (probationary member) for at least a year, and you’ll go from a fumbling newbie to a well trained firefighter.

But this comes with some commitment. So your new Captain tells you, “The next two months are your time to prove that you want to be one of us, and in this time, you’ll be asked to do things you may not do every day, but it’s part of being a member of this department, and our family.” This is when you hear tasks like, cooking meals, cleaning equipment, washing fire trucks and keeping the station tidy. It’s a right of passage that every member has had to endured at one time or another, from the probie that joined last month to the 60+ year Ex-Chief. It’s not hazing, it’s not picking on anyone, it’s about learning responsibility around the station, and working together with your fellow company members to develop a team atmosphere.

In addition to your new duties around the station, you’ll be required to attend and successfully pass the Suffolk County Fire Academy’s “Firefighter 1” course within your first 18 months of membership. The hours required for the class are nothing short of extensive, but so is racing into a building to extinguish a fire. The course comprises over 107 hours of classroom, hands-on trainings, and testing, which covers just the very basics of firefighting skills needed. These skills are improved upon during your Company and Department training sessions, performed at least once every week throughout the year. Each company has their own schedule with which you are expected to follow and attend. Additionally, the Dix Hills FD holds several meetings each month, at which time vital information is discussed and passed along to the membership, both on a department level and a company level.

But all the previously mentioned tasks and efforts, are forgotten when you get on that fire truck for the first time to perform your duties as a firefighter. All of the hours of classroom lectures, hands-on trainings, sweating, and hard work, simply fade into actions that lead to amazing, and sometime life saving, results.

If you have “what it takes”, or want more information on becoming a volunteer firefighter with the Dix Hills FD, there’s 3 ways to contact us:

1. By phone at (631) 499-8836 ext 133

2. Through our website at www.DixHillsFD.org

3. Visit our Recruitment Page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Dix-Hills-Fire-Department-Recruitment-Page/619013778191253