Volunteer Firefighters Receive Training

To the Editor:
There were some recent comments posted in a social media app regarding an electrical fire at the top of a utility pole in Lower Township. The writer concluded that the township needed to have a paid fire department because the volunteer response was inadequate.
The writer said a lone fireman went out to block off the intersection and wait for the electric company to come and put out the fire. Another individual agreed with the original post, stating the township needed to have a paid fire department so those responding to fires would have been trained to do so.
I have never been a volunteer firefighter, but I think I know why the fire company did not come out and start spraying burning power lines. Also, I spent nearly 20 years covering local news in Cape May County, and I have learned a few things about what it takes to become a volunteer fireman.
To volunteer to put on the turnout gear and respond to a fire, an individual must complete the Firefighter 1 course, such as the one provided at the Cape May County Public Safety Training Center. Firefighter 1, the last I heard, was 180 hours of instruction.
At the end of that, they are qualified to show up and fight the fire from the outside. To go inside and fight the fire, and perhaps save lives, a firefighter must be certified to use the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
Volunteer firefighters then must attend weekly meetings, drills, and specialized training in a variety of areas, such as high-level rescues, confined space rescues, water rescues, ice rescues, and vehicle entrapment.
All fire companies are being asked to do so many different tasks these days, so the term “fire” department is a misnomer. One fire chief of a paid company told me they should be called an “all-hazard” department because that is what they do, respond to all hazards.
I have also been in a position to hear how volunteers have saved a homeowner or business owner from a much greater loss than potentially could have occurred. I spent one year in upstate New York, where a lawyer’s office and all his records were threatened by fire or water damage resulting from fighting the fire. The volunteer firefighters took the time to throw a tarp over office computers to protect them from water, saving tons of client records.
I also heard from an individual who had the beginnings of a serious home fire. He said the volunteer firefighters from the Town Bank Fire Company likewise used tarps to protect his possessions from the effects of fighting the fire. He had particular praise for the on-scene commander and the “professional” way in which he directed the operation.
While they are unpaid, volunteer firefighters are certainly not untrained. If people have a question about how the volunteers responded to a call, perhaps you should ask them. They are your neighbors.