“A firefighter must have courage. They routinely face dangerous situations, including burning buildings and vehicles. They must be able to put any fear aside and still do their job safely and effectively,” says Affordable Schools. Senior and Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Company (JVFC)volunteer  Brady Wright agrees, “you have to be a certain person to handle the job.” 

     Junior Andrew Stanko and senior Eric Huffman also volunteer at JVFC and want to become a full time firefighter one day. “When I’m eighteen I will go through the academy. I wanted to become a firefighter because my grandfather was a firefighter and I want to follow in his footsteps,” says Stanko. Huffman and Wright also have family influences. For Wright it was his father and his friends, “seeing them do it my entire life made me want to do it.” Like Stanko, Huffman’s grandfather influenced him along with his brother, “my brother and grandfather were both a firefighter my entire life.” 

     A common favorite among volunteers is the “brotherhood” in the firehouse. According to Fire Critic, “brotherhood is understanding that above all differences of opinion, feuds, hurt feelings, and just plain old not getting along you understand that you have a duty to all firefighters equally.” Write comments that it is like his “second family” and that there is always someone there for you. Stanko and Huffman both state that the family aspect is one of their favorite things about the job. 

     Stanko explains that riding the engine is another big enjoyment for him while volunteering. Even though he is arriving to serious calls, he states that there is fun found in what they do, “riding on the engine is definitely one of my favorite parts, it is so cool and it is a lot of fun.” This is called a “ride along”, and PowerDMs explains that a ride along is when someone “establishes the rules and requirements to allow non-emergency personnel to go along with firefighters on a fire callout or other emergency response.” It is also important to recognize the risks that come with this due to the fact that the volunteers are not fully trained yet. 

     Each of the volunteers plan to go through the official firefighter academy when they are eligible. Fire Rescue elaborates, “most [fire departments] will want you to be between the ages of 18 and 45 and to have a high school degree or equivalent. Whatever your age, you must be in excellent physical and mental condition to be able to pass the rigorous training of the fire academy.” Stanko and Huffman both expressed their eagerness to be a full time firefighter so they can get paid and so they can earn more privileges and opportunities.