Have you ever watched a burning building and feel helpless that you cannot do anything to save someone who might be trapped inside? Well, you do not always have to be on the sidelines watching while others do the work. You can have a career as a full time firefighter, retained firefighter, or you can keep your current job and just be one of the volunteer firefighters that contribute so much to the community.

Firefighters are people who respond to fire emergencies and other emergency situations. To become one of them, you need to meet the requirements and to undergo extensive training. Fire, as we all know, is very dangerous. It has the power to kill and destroy. That is why it is important that we need to know about fire safety and protection. You should also know that you do not have to be the one who enters a burning building to be able to help in fire emergencies. There are so many other things that you can do like driving the fire truck, operate the fire equipment, perform first aid on fire victims, be part of the clean up group, train on how put out small fires using foam fire extinguisher and the like, disseminate information on fire safety, etc.

As one of the volunteer firefighters, the first thing that you would need to know is the fire triangle. This triangle shows the elements of fire – oxygen, heat, and fuel. If you have the right mixture of these three elements, you would create fire. This would also mean that if one element is missing or if you eliminate one of them, then there would be no possibility of fire or the fire would not be sustained. Just knowing this basic fact about fire would help a lot in fire prevention and safety. You would be able to check for fire hazards in your place and do something about it to prevent fire from starting or keep it from spreading. You would also know the importance of making foam fire extinguisher and other fire extinguishers available for use in your place.

You need to learn how to use and operate firefighting devices such as foam fire extinguisher. You should also know the different classes of fire and the different kinds of firefighting devices. You would not want to use the wrong fire extinguisher because it would mean making the situation worse than it is already. Your objective is to control the fire and minimize the damage to property and not to make it worse.

As one of the volunteer firefighters, you have to undergo intensive training to be able to be able to cope well with emergency situations. Although it would be nice and rewarding to be able to save a life, it would also be devastating and tragic if you were unable to do it. You have to accept the fact that there are just some things that are beyond your control. Sometimes, giving your all and your best might not be enough. You should be able to prepare yourself when and if that happens.