We are so glad that you have an interest in volunteering for your local fire or EMS department. As a Fire Corps volunteer, you can expect to assist your department in a non-emergency role. The activities vary greatly depending on the department or organization, but the list below should give you an idea of what opportunities may be available:

• Teaching fire safety to children
• Installing smoke alarms in area homes
• Maintaining the department’s web site
• Distributing disaster preparedness materials
• Providing refreshments to first responders during long incidents (this is often called rehabilitation service or “rehab” for short)
• Executing home safety checks
• Bookkeeping
• And so much more!

If you are completely new to the fire and emergency service field, you may want to take a look at the cheat sheet of Fire and Emergency Service Terminology. It’s not necessary to know the lingo, but it might make you a lot more comfortable in your new environment! If you have questions about becoming a Fire Corps volunteer with Western Pennsylvania CERT, please contact us at info@westernpacert.org or use the contact form under the contact link in the upper right hand corner.