RescueWV
Member
The topic about how much people spend on lights got me thinking: With a good chunk of us on the forum being volunteers, what does it cost to volunteer in your area/agency? We're not just talking membership dues, but looking at the big picture... Think about required equipment that's not provided. Provided equipment that's not adequate. Equipment that is provided but that it's prudent to use your own rather than company provided. What do you have to shell out hard-earned money for to help serve your neighbors?
Here's my three personal examples from recent unnamed agencies that I've volunteered with.
Volunteer Search and Rescue Team -
Paid $25 annual dues to support cost of insurance for the team and other administrative fees. I was responsible for ALL personal gear (most of which is typical hiking/camping gear that the average outdoors person has, but some had to be specifically purchased.) Purchased own uniform. Local agencies and organizations often provided consumables (ie. food and batteries) during search incidents, but you still needed to have your own stock just in case. The team owned most of what was needed for incident command and rescue. Once you progressed past a training level, you were encouraged to have your own portable radio; the team was able to issue these out of the reserve stock, but it was encouraged to purchase your own if you were able. Most training was provided in-house according to regional/state standards. Partial reimbursement for seeking outside training.
Combination Paid/Volunteer Ambulance Service -
I paid a $45 "application" fee out of pocket that covered background check and drug testing. From there on out, everything, including duty uniforms was covered. No membership dues. Agency paid for new members to be trained to EMT-B if they weren't already, and would provide scholarships for students seeking EMT-P.
I was only a driver and only with them for about a year, so it's possible that I would have found things that I wanted/need to purchase out of pocket had I been there longer or gotten my EMT.
Volunteer Fire Department/Fire Police -
$10 application/background check fee, $10 annual dues. All essential personal equipment is provided for firefighters. Fire police are a bit different, they're provided traffic cones, flares, flashlight, flag, hi-viz vest and jacket, badge, helmet, pager, and portable radio; they need to pay for their own vehicle lighting (which is essential for fire police duties) and it's helpful to have a mobile radio, which you would need to purchase out-of-pocket. Most fire police also have some additional personal investment in other equipment to make their jobs of traffic and crowd control easier. Cost of most any training is covered with approval of the officers, although there is a policy that requires you to reimburse the department at a pro-rated amount if you leave the department within 2-3 years of them paying for your training.
TL;DR: I'm sure there's HUGE variation within different parts of the country and different sorts of agencies, but I'm interested to hear what your involvement is, and what you have to pay for to be able to do your "job" as a volunteer.
Here's my three personal examples from recent unnamed agencies that I've volunteered with.
Volunteer Search and Rescue Team -
Paid $25 annual dues to support cost of insurance for the team and other administrative fees. I was responsible for ALL personal gear (most of which is typical hiking/camping gear that the average outdoors person has, but some had to be specifically purchased.) Purchased own uniform. Local agencies and organizations often provided consumables (ie. food and batteries) during search incidents, but you still needed to have your own stock just in case. The team owned most of what was needed for incident command and rescue. Once you progressed past a training level, you were encouraged to have your own portable radio; the team was able to issue these out of the reserve stock, but it was encouraged to purchase your own if you were able. Most training was provided in-house according to regional/state standards. Partial reimbursement for seeking outside training.
Combination Paid/Volunteer Ambulance Service -
I paid a $45 "application" fee out of pocket that covered background check and drug testing. From there on out, everything, including duty uniforms was covered. No membership dues. Agency paid for new members to be trained to EMT-B if they weren't already, and would provide scholarships for students seeking EMT-P.
I was only a driver and only with them for about a year, so it's possible that I would have found things that I wanted/need to purchase out of pocket had I been there longer or gotten my EMT.
Volunteer Fire Department/Fire Police -
$10 application/background check fee, $10 annual dues. All essential personal equipment is provided for firefighters. Fire police are a bit different, they're provided traffic cones, flares, flashlight, flag, hi-viz vest and jacket, badge, helmet, pager, and portable radio; they need to pay for their own vehicle lighting (which is essential for fire police duties) and it's helpful to have a mobile radio, which you would need to purchase out-of-pocket. Most fire police also have some additional personal investment in other equipment to make their jobs of traffic and crowd control easier. Cost of most any training is covered with approval of the officers, although there is a policy that requires you to reimburse the department at a pro-rated amount if you leave the department within 2-3 years of them paying for your training.
TL;DR: I'm sure there's HUGE variation within different parts of the country and different sorts of agencies, but I'm interested to hear what your involvement is, and what you have to pay for to be able to do your "job" as a volunteer.
