How do I start becoming a volunteer?

Stop at the station on a Wednesday night and fill out an application. Hang out at drill if you can and get a feel for the crowd. There's no need to be shy.

Poor excuse #1: I don't have the time.

Being a volunteer firefighter or EMT doesn't mean giving up all your free time, sleeping at the station, or having to buy a lot of expensive equipment. Below is the easy way to be active. Although the station can be a quiet place to take a nap, we don't make you sleep in a bunk room to wait for calls. Best of all, your training and equipment is provided by the Company. We won't lie to you though, if you take the job seriously, get involved, and push yourself to learn more, being a volunteer can take a lot of time. But trust us, it's worth the time and effort.

How do I become active?

We currently use a crew night system to determine active and non active status. To be an active volunteer for Waterford all you have to do is the following:
- Complete the required training (free)
- Sign up for five (5) nine (9) hour shifts during the month, and answer all calls during those times
- Come to half the drills for the month
Those are the bare bones requirements for being a Stancliff volunteer. Of course we encourage everyone to answer as many calls as they can, but it's understood that we all have jobs, families, and other obligations.

Poor excuse #2: I don't want to wear all that gear.

You don't have to wear fire gear to help out. We are in great need of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). EMTs help us answer medical calls, which make up most of our call volume. From broken bones to ill patients to motor vehicle accident victims, our EMTs see a wide range of scenarios. Best of all, you have your own chauffeur on each call.

How do I learn how to be a firefighter or EMT?

Grab your pen and paper, we're sending you to class. The required Commonwealth Certification to be an EMT takes several months of evening classes, generally two to three nights a week, but is paid for by the Company.

To be a firefighter in Pennsylvania you must complete the Essentials of Firefighting course. The course is broken into four modules of classroom and hands on experience to teach you the basics of firefighting and is again, several nights a week for a few months depending on class schedules. The first three mods teach the basics of exterior firefighting and the fourth teaches the very basics for interior attack. Firefighters are only required to take the fourth mod to enter structures. So, that brings us to...

Poor excuse #3: I don't want to run into a burning house!

You don't have to. There are plenty of jobs outside the structure that need done, like setting ground ladders, getting tools/equipment, ventilation, scene safety, pumps operation, water supply, and rehab, just to name a few. We may need firefighters to hook siding, cut shrubbery, open windows, or force doors depending on the situation. All the small tasks really add up when there's nobody there to do them.

We send you to class, again, and again...

You didn't think we'd stop at the basics, did you? Other classes you are encouraged to take are almost limitless, but include structure burn sessions, firefighter survival, Rapid Intervention Team basic and advanced, ropes rescue, pumps, rural water movement, Emergency Vehicle Operation Certification, wildland firefighting, confined space rescue, water rescue, and basic and advanced vehicle rescue, just to name a few. Whatever your interest, there's a class. And remember, we pick up the tab.

Poor excuse #4: That sounds like too much all at once.

While we like you to get either your EMT or Essentials (perhaps both?) as soon as possible after joining, the rest can come with time. We don't expect anyone, especially new members, to be taking classes all the time. In fact, most classes are only offered once or twice a year, so you may have to wait a year or two before you can schedule that high angle technical rescue class you've been drooling over.

Once you have your basics taken care of, you can basically advance at your own pace. But remember, the more you train in, the more you can play in.