Non-Career Members:
Volunteers and Reserves

Volunteer and Reserve members respond to fire and medical calls, usually during standby shifts at the station. They work as a team along with our Career members, serve at the same stations, and use the same apparatus and equipment.

In addition to regular standby time, Volunteer and Reserve members often respond from home to assist the scheduled standby crew on large incidents or complex medical calls.

Volunteers

Volunteer members do not receive any cash payment in return for their participation, but they are eligible to participate in the Volunteer Firefighter Pension Plan. They may receive non-cash benefits, such as an equipment or uniform allowance.

In addition to responding to calls, many of our volunteers are also responsible for essential management duties, training, administration, planning, public education, and many community service activities.

Reserves

Reserve members receive a small cash payment in return for their participation, but they do not participate in the Volunteer Firefighter Pension Plan. They may receive non-cash benefits, such as an equipment or uniform allowance.

Application requirements for Volunteers and Reserves

• 18 years old
• Pass a Colorado Background Investigation (CBI)
  If a Colorado resident for fewer than three years, you must also pass a background investigation for previous residences.

• Submit a recent DMV Driving Report
• If you live inside our district, you must have a current First Responder certification, or be able to earn it as soon as possible.
  The First Responder certification is the minimum level of EMS training required for all Volunteer Members. If you live inside our district, you may still apply for membership if you have not yet earned this certification. However, you must complete this certification before you can graduate from Probationary Membership to full membership.

• If you live outside our district, you must hold any one of the following current certifications:
  - EMT-Basic or higher
  - Colorado Fire Fighter 1

Additional requirements for Reserves

Members must achieve the following minimum certifications before being accepted into the Reserve Firefighter Program:

• Fire Fighter I
• Hazardous Materials Awareness
• EMT-B with CPR/AED
• S130/S190 (Basic Wildland Firefighter, including annual refresher training)

Duty expectations

Non-career members are required to be on standby at the station for a minimum of 24 hours each month.

Volunteer scheduling is flexible; shifts must be at least four hours long, but no more than 24 hours.

Reserve shifts may only be scheduled in blocks of 12 hours.

Training expectations

At a minimum, non-career members are required to attend the following training sessions and meetings:

• Monthly department meetings (second Tuesday, 7:00 pm)
• A minimum of five EMS in-service classes per year (first Tuesday, 7:00 pm)
• Members with fire credentials must attend monthly fire training (fourth Tuesday, 7:00 pm)

To qualify for the Volunteer Firefighter Pension Program, a Volunteer must complete a minimum of 36 hours of training per year. However, to stay competent in basic EMS or fire skills, add new skills, and maintain required certifications, most members spend much more time in training.

Additional service expectations

Black Forest Fire/Rescue has been an essential and respected part of the Black Forest community since 1945. Each year, our department's participation is vital to the success of many community events and activities:

• The Black Forest Festival
• Black Forest Community Club Christmas Tree lighting ceremony
• Black Forest Easter Egg Hunt (created and organized by BFFR)
• Community CPR and First Aid classes
• First Aid and safety classes for Scouts and other youth groups
• EMS support for selected community events
• A wide variety of public relations appearances and station tours

In addition to responding to calls, members also do many jobs that keep the station and department functioning. For example:

• Station maintenance, cleaning, and annual inventory
• Equipment maintenance, cleaning, and repair
• Computer administration
• Training and mentoring

Each member is not expected to participate in every one of these events, or do all of these jobs. But every member is expected to do a fair share of community support and station work.

We welcome your membership

If you've read this far, you're probably not scared of working hard for a good cause. And if that's true, you're the sort of person we'd like as a member. Click here to learn how to join us as a Volunteer or Reserve member.