Join Us

 We are always looking for men and women interested in joining the WBFD as a volunteer firefighter or volunteer EMT. If you are interested in joining you can come by the fire station and pick up an application or download an application from our site.

Why should you volunteer?

Have you ever wondered about the sadness and horror a family goes through as they stand on their front lawn watching fire begin to destroy everything they own? Imagine being injured in a car crash and sitting in a tangle of twisted metal and broken glass. Now think about how much better these people’s lives will be finding their neighbors and friends turnout in minutes to help them. Helping your neighbors and community brings a level of self-satisfaction that is second to none.

Who are the Professional Volunteer Firefighters?

They are people like you – men and women of all ages and careers. They are students, lawyers, business owners, computer technicians, builders, mechanics, teachers and homemakers. They are people from all walks of life. They are people who will leave their homes and families on a moments notice to fight a fire or provide medical care to a neighbor.

Volunteer Firefighters are professional because they are trained and certified to meet all of the same professional qualifications that career firefighters meet.

What are the requirements for joining?

To join the WBFD you must be between 18 and 65 years of age and in good physical condition. You must being willing to be on-call eight nights each month. You must pass a criminal background check.

Members of the WBFD train almost every Tuesday night from 7 PM to 9:30 PM. Come by on a Tuesday night to see what we do and get more information about joining.

What kind of training and skills do you need?

To join you need no special training, only a desire to help others. The WBFD will provide you with firefighting training at not cost. Typically, each April we start a new volunteer firefighter training class and each usually runs on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. At then end of your training, you will take the Massachusetts Firefighter Certification Exam.

All firefighters in Massachusetts must have CPR training, incident command training and basic first aid training. The WBFD provides all of this training to its members.

Those wishing to serve as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) can attend a one-semester EMT class at the Cape Cod Community College, as well as attend EMT programs at other area schools.

Members of the WBFD can serve as firefighters or as EMTs or as both.

It sounds easy!

Make no mistake about it. Volunteering as a member of the West Barnstable Fire Department requires a commitment that few are willing to make. You will be required to put in some long and hard hours. Emergencies do not care about time, temperature, birthdays or holidays. On some nights you will be asked to get out of a warm, comfortable bed and respond to an EMS call, a fire or an accident. 

As a firefighter/EMT you can expect to lose sleep, miss meals and push yourself to limits beyond what you thought you were capable of. Take our word for it, what you see on TV or in the movies doesn’t begin to describe the reality of fighting a fire or dealing with a serious accident. These are demanding and dangerous tasks. But volunteer firefighting is one of the most rewarding things you can do…knowing that you helped make a difference.

If you would like more information about becoming a volunteer firefighter or EMT with the West Barnstable Fire Department, call us at 508-362-3241 or stop by the fire station anytime.