Submitted photo • New members of the Fairgrove Fire Department are (l-r) Jeff Baur, Brad Nelson, and Mike Sode with Chief Doug Young. Also, Dan Voss completed the training but is missing from the photo.
By Mary Drier
Staff Writer
FAIRGROVE — The only distinction between a “volunteer firefighter” and a “professional firefighter” is the number of hours they work and their pay.
“They each take exactly the same hours of training and are required to take and pass the same tests,” said Fairgrove Fire Department Chief Doug Young noting volunteer firefighters have other jobs and work when called out for a fire whereas with the “career” ones, being a firefighter is their full time job.
“The National Firefighter Professional Association finds no difference between them, and neither should we.”
Young handed new recruits Brad Nelson and Mike Sode their certificates, their helmets and pinned on their badge to be part of the Fairgrove Fire Department. And, firefighter Linal Baur did the same honors for his son, Jeff Baur.
Also, Dan Voss completed the training but was not able to attend the event.
“My best advice to give is never forget why you are here… to help people,” said Young noting in a small community being a firefighter is often very difficult because calls for help could be a family member or a friend.
Besides the responsibilities of fighting fires and what goes with that, comes professional and personal standards firefighters are expected to live up to – honor, discipline, responsibility, accountability, ethics and more.
Discipline is needed to work together as a team and for safety. Responsibility is needed to follow through with training, going to meetings as well as responding to a call whether it is convenient for not. Accountability is upholding professional and personal standards. It is service before self.
Firefighters are civil servants whether they service as a volunteer or as a career. They are sworn officers who follow standard polices and procedures to help prevent human suffering and death, to stabilize an incident, prevent damage and loss of property, help at fires, vehicle accidents, rescues, medical emergencies, natural disasters, and more.
Their service is valuable to the community. It is difficult and dangerous.
In doing that, a spirit of camaraderie and self-sacrifice develops. Being a firefighter, means being part of a brotherhood and of being there for each other whether fighting fires and just needing a helping hand, said Young.
Training to become a firefighter takes several weeks and requires a lot of hard work, but its rewarding.
Mary Drier is a staff writer for the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at drier@tcadvertiser.com.