Fire and rescue volunteers dedicated to community service

Dec. 29--Laurie Hill was visiting a friend one evening when an emergency call came over the fire and police scanner.

First responders reported a person was trapped inside a motor vehicle at a crash scene and a specific piece of rescue gear needed to free the injured motorist was not on the scene.

"I heard people calling for help and nobody was going to help them, and that's when I decided to step up and volunteer," said Hill. "I said, I'm able to do it, and although I wasn't trained at the time, that's what gave me the passion and gave me the initiative to become trained and become a volunteer to help people."

Because of that cry for help, Hill joined King George County Fire and Rescue in 2008. Today, she is the volunteer coordinator for the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad, looking for ways to get others to volunteer.

Although the majority of fire and rescue volunteers are highly trained and work in the field, others perform behind-the-scenes support work, such as filing paperwork, keeping records or coordinating special events.

Whatever the job, what makes volunteers unusual is that they perform countless hours of vital community service without pay.

Jayne Toeller, who lives in Spotsylvania County, has been a volunteer paramedic at Aquia Harbour Volunteer Rescue Squad for more than 20 years.

Toeller joined the volunteer service when her children got older and her husband was traveling more on business. She said her volunteer work is satisfying, challenging and rewarding, and allows her to serve the community doing something she's passionate about.

"I wanted something more," said Toeller. "I got sucked in and I haven't left. I do it because I love it, and I feel that I am doing something worthwhile."

While area localities have added more paid fire and rescue personnel to serve the demands of their growing populations, volunteers still provide an essential service. Throughout the region, volunteers are committed to a calling where the hours are long and a thank-you is the only reimbursement they receive--and those thanks are few and far between.

"There's no high-fiving for filling out reports after the calls, or for scrubbing hoses and doing a lot of the hard work, or dealing with an irate, intoxicated person in the back of an ambulance," said King George Fire and Rescue Chief David Moody.

Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Joseph Cardello and Spotsylvania Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management Chief Jay Cullinan agreed, saying without volunteers, it would be tough to accomplish all the things that need to be done.

"Without volunteers, our system would not be where it is," Cullinan said. "Our county would not be receiving the level of service that our citizens have today."

SIDE BY SIDE

Between Stafford, Spotsylvania and King George County fire and rescue departments--and the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad--there are nearly 600 men and women in the area serving as volunteers.

Although each organization goes about its business slightly differently, each one seamlessly incorporates volunteers alongside its paid career staff.

"We work side by side with each other, we wear the same uniforms, we wear the same patch, we operate under the same standard operating procedures, and we ride the same trucks," said Moody.

Some departments have paid staff on duty at fire stations around the clock, while others staff their stations during certain hours with nothing but volunteers.

Whatever the staffing preference, equality in training between volunteers and the career force is a common thread between all of the agencies.

The exact method of delivering training varies slightly from department to department. Some volunteers attend a full-fledged firefighting academy, while others take challenging classes during the week and on weekends.

Others bring in guest instructors or use their own career staff members who are certified to train, while others augment their programs with training in other jurisdictions.

Cardello said the hours spent training volunteers translates into excellent emergency response services throughout the community.

Most departments also have a junior program, which allows volunteers as young as 16 to participate. At 18, volunteers can step into intense, hands-on training after completing an application and other requirements, which vary by locality.

Qualified volunteers boost the number of personnel available to respond at fire stations, allowing emergency responders the ability to deploy additional specialty apparatus when dispatched to an emergency, such as aerial ladders, heavy rescue vehicles and tankers.

"Instead of rolling out with the minimum number of people to a structure fire, we've got volunteers who are standing alongside our career personnel," said Cullinan. "They blend crews, so instead of having three people on an engine, we have four or five."

RISKS AND REWARDS

Spotsylvania volunteer paramedic Kimberly Madison, who is a scientist at Dahlgren's Naval Surface Warfare Center, has been serving as a volunteer since 2002.

"We're helping people," Madison said. "You get out into the community, you see people and you make a difference."

But getting out into the community comes with its share of hazards. Roadside work, for example, is already inherently dangerous, but gets even more hazardous at night, when there may be more impaired and distracted drivers.

Last October, Hanover firefighter Lt. Brad Clark was killed and three other firefighters were injured after their firetruck was rear-ended on Interstate 295 in Hanover County.

A year ago, a Chesterfield firetruck was rear-ended on Interstate 95 near the Chippenham Parkway, and a month before that incident, another Chesterfield firetruck was rear-ended while responding to the scene of a crash.

"This business is not for everybody, nor really should it be," Moody said. "We're seeing distracted drivers hitting emergency vehicles on the side of the road at an alarming rate."

According to a report by the Glatfelter Insurance Group, 15,145 fire department vehicles nationwide were involved in collisions in 2017, resulting in 1,080 injuries and 18 deaths, including 10 cases of firefighters being struck by other vehicles.

In addition to the risky tasks, volunteers help perform administrative duties, such as keeping station records, participating in fundraising activities or assisting with recruiting efforts.

Cadres of auxiliary members also provide meals, drinks and other assistance at fire scenes, accidents or emergency situations that often span multiple hours, many times in extreme weather conditions.

"Our [Community Emergency Response Team] is excellent," Cardello said. "They're not putting fires out, but they're assisting with communications, checking smoke alarms, helping with drills--there are so many things they do behind the scenes."

Across the board, every locality admits it has its share of struggles finding men and women to serve as volunteers. Even after qualifying, retaining volunteers on the team is sometimes a challenge.

"Many start off with good intentions, but leave due to a job change, a move, failure to meet the requirements, or the job not being what they expected," Moody said. "We put a lot of time, energy and logistics into each candidate without any expectation of service."

Those who do stay the course for the long haul find their volunteer service rewarding and beneficial not only to themselves, but to the community.

"I think everyone in the community is very appreciative," Madison said. "We see them on their worse days and a week or two later they'll drop by the station and say thank you and drop off some goodies.

"I've gained lifelong friends through the department," she continued. "I got in to help people, and I gained more than I realized."

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