Any un-paid volunteers here?

[ChicagoFF]

The other thread made me curious. I always assumed all volunteers were unpaid, but as I read it, it seems to be that most are - and some pretty well. So how about it? Any volunteers here........uh..........volunteer?

[Firetacoma1]

Yep.
I got a t-shirt and a bumper sticker.

The only checks I get are for expense re-imbursment.

We get a pretty nice end of the year party though.

[doughesson]

Same here on my old department.We were the only ones in the county that I knew of that got gas reimbursement for responding so I never thought a good idea to rub it in.
We did have a pretty good budget for training and the Chief always made sure to put on a feed for those showing up at training and on calls that lasted longer than the usual 3 hours,rehab consisted of delivery or takeout chow.His philosophy on it was"If I feed them,they will come"which results in large turnouts for calls and training.It's that or we was one dedicated department or both.
The end result was a department that even with the comments about the other hyphen side of the name,we were able to mix teams smoothly and ride the other rigs with no mix ups when sent to get something off the truck.

[Chauffeur6]

Yup, 100%. Not only are we fully volunteer, but we even have to pay DUES to be a member! Don't think you can get much more volunteer than that. If being a volunteer without getting or giving anything is dead center, and being a volunteer but getting something in return (stipends, t-shirts, meal money, $3 a call, etc.) is to the right of center...then having to actually PAY to give your time is definitely left of center, which is where we are.

[Bones42]

I get $0 for answering calls. I get $0 for going to training. I get $0 for being an instructor. I get $0 for clothing allowances.

But on the good side, IF I make enough fire calls, enough meetings, enough training, each year for the next 20 years....when I turn 60 I can presumably collect $400 per year as "Thanks".

Believe me, I surely don't do this for the money.

[Catch22]

$0 for being chief, instructor, investigator, city building inspector, and city emergency manager.

[scvfd412]

Yep, 100% volunteer here. The only thing we get is our county sticker free.

[RoughRider]

I’m not paid anything ser se but we do get an occasional Company shirt or jacket. We do get some sort of cumulative retirement benefit based on years of active service. (LOSAP)

I don't know the details and frankly don't care.

[Chauffeur6]

But on the good side, IF I make enough fire calls, enough meetings, enough training, each year for the next 20 years....when I turn 60 I can presumably collect $400 per year as "Thanks".

Oh, I forgot about the LOSAP program. In the interest of full disclosure, our dept participates in a program, so I suppose someone will point out that we are in fact NOT 100% volunteer if we ever receive a single penny over our lifetimes that can be traced back to the fire dept.

[TFW1TFW1]

My company does it for free. One of the only ones left in our county, doin' it since 1890. Well, not us, but we have carried on the tradition. Love of the job, man, love of the job. I saw a shirt the other day @ www.thefirefighterwithin.com that summed it up well. If I could get paid for one thing, however, it would be a dollar for every time I have to hear something stupid from the higher-ups. I'd be rich in no time. Keep on trudging volunteers. Never give up.

[ACfire1]

A few dollars for going to training here.

[danhawkeye]

Completely unpaid, and I like it like that.

Maryland gives us free training for just about everything and I consider that payment in itself.

It would be nice not to have to pay for uniforms and get some new turnout gear though... I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon...

[bfranse]

But on the good side, IF I make enough fire calls, enough meetings, enough training, each year for the next 20 years....when I turn 60 I can presumably collect $400 per year as "Thanks".

Highroller!

[wombat]

vols

Same thing down under in the Victoria CFA, ACT RFS and NSW RFS.
Payment of zip but thats why alot of us are in it. Raise alot of our own operating funds as well. Its called a community.

Requires specialist treatment from permanent paid staff as they know they know they ain't got you by the balls.

[djgilbert32]

100 % volunteer, only left in our county that don't get paid and have people waiting to get on, when depts they pay their guys for runs have trouble finding volunteers. Fully volunteer since 1888 and still going strong.