Becoming a firefighter
The radio blares to life for a structure fire. All across Hood County, things begin to happen in rapid succession. Dozens of volunteers wake up from a deep sleep, leave meals at the table, step out from the family party, or pause the weekend chore list. Cars of every kind head to the fire station, and in a matter of minutes, a number of highly trained, well equipped and dedicated volunteers are headed to the scene — and for them, this is a regular part of their lives. This is a reality for our members at Indian Harbor Fire Department, and a reality played out all across our state and country. But— we should rewind a little bit and explain how we got here in the first place.
The first step to becoming a volunteer firefighter is “Answering the Call”, or in simpler terms— submitting an application to your local volunteer department. It does not matter whether you have any experience, certification or formal training — but it is great if you do. The next step is being interviewed, having a background check completed, and beginning your probationary period. Probationary Firefighters then begin training towards certification.
Indian Harbor Fire Department is a proud member of the Texas State Firemen and Fire Marshalls Association (SFFMA) and is located in District 16, which represents Hood, Parker, Erath, Stephens, Palo Pinto, Somervell and Comanche Counties. District 16 provides “Rookie School”, formally known as Fire Training School to volunteer firefighters from all seven counties in our district. Rookie School is an approximately four month training program which educates new volunteer firefighters in firefighting, search and rescue, vehicle extrication, basic wildland firefighting, vertical ventilation, water supply, personal safety and scene safety. Upon the successful completion of the Fire Training School, students are eligible to test for the SFFMA Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 examinations.
Indian Harbor FD provides further education in SFFMA’s Hazardous Materials Awareness and Hazardous Materials Operation, Basic Wildland Firefighting, “Basic Life Support” CPR and First Aid to our new volunteers as part of our probationary process. We also train our probationary members in vehicle driving and vehicle operation, enabling our newest team members to drive apparatus and begin responding to calls. While you won’t get behind the wheel of our fire engines immediately, you will be able to operate our EMS response vehicle, rehabiltation truck, and our brush trucks — and at that point you’ll truly be able to say that you’ve answered the call.
To this point, you’ve obtained training and become eligible for state certification as a firefighter, you’ve learned the basics in emergency medical care, and you’ve begun learning how to drive our apparatus. What’s next?
Following the successful completion of your probationary process and having met the various objectives outlined in your probationary process, you will be voted on as a Firefighter with our department. The process doesn’t stop there: we continue to train as a department, and there are a number of possibilities to further your service to the department and your community. We are firm believers that you can never stop learning, and we provide opportunities to ensure that the learning process never stops.
Indian Harbor recently established a Technical Rescue Team, enabling members of our department to train in advanced specialties like Swift Water Rescue, Confined Space and High-Angle Rope Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue, and other correlated technical disciplines. Indian Harbor also recently begun efforts to establish a county wide EMS training program, providing volunteers the opportunity to gain their Emergency Medical Technicain certification, and provide first-on emergency care whenever and whereever it is needed. There are more posts detailing these vocations located on our blog, so feel free to take a look at them and learn more!
