Make
a Difference—Be a Belgrade Volunteer
Firefighter
Recruitment
Period: January through March
Applications available at Station 1
205 East Main Street - Belgrade, Montana
 Fire
Service Objectives
Originally,
Fire Departments were formed with the sole objective of saving
lives and property through fire suppression. Over the years,
the role of the Firefighter and the Fire Department has changed
dramatically. Today's Fire Department can be better described
as an Emergency Service Agency and the Firefighter as a Damage
Control Specialist.
The
Firefighter in the Belgrade City/Rural Fire District still fights
fire, but the objective is not only to put out a fire, but to
leave a fire building with as little overall damage as possible.
This can be translated into "Customer Service". The
fact remains that a bucket of water will extinguish as much fire
today as it did in the past, but today's well-trained Firefighter
can more efficiently apply that bucket in less time and therefore
increase the value of the same quantity of water.
Modern
Firefighters are aware of water damage as well as fire damage.
Holes are patched before a fire scene is vacated so weather will
not add to overall damage. The Firefighter has also learned ways
of forcible entry that leave the least amount of damage.
As
an Emergency Service Agency, the responses of your Fire District
go well beyond fire fighting. Over 50% of the calls handled by
the Belgrade City/Rural Fire District were for emergencies other
than fire.
Much
of our time is spent training and responding to other emergencies
like Medical Calls, Motor Vehicle Crashes and Hazardous Materials
Incidents. These emergencies require additional specialized training
and equipment to assist and support the people involved. These
specialized services assist our citizens and visitors on a daily
basis. Without our intervention, tragedy or near tragedy would
certainly exist.
The
general public has come to realize the value of the Firefighter
in a variety of emergency situations that call for controlled
and intelligent action, often in life and death situations. As
such, the public calls upon the Fire Service any time they are
faced with a situation they feel they cannot handle. While to
the well-trained Firefighter it may seem that the solution to
the emergency problems is obvious and simple, we must remember
that the general public does not have the background and training
of today's emergency responder.
One
of the most valuable services we provide is in the area of awareness,
education, code management and prevention. As we become experts
in extinguishing fires, we automatically develop an extensive
knowledge of how fires start. The fire that we take the most satisfaction
in putting out is the one we prevented. It is the internal values
of the Belgrade City/Rural Fire District that all members take
an active interest in promoting fire prevention and safety.
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