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Thank you for your interest in serving with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department as a member of one of our Volunteer Fire Companies!
The fire/rescue service and emergency medical service offer exciting challenges and a valuable, rewarding way to serve the community. In return for your commitment, we offer training that will always be in great demand – and the opportunity to help your neighbors when they need it most.
The Anne Arundel County Fire Department is a “combination” service in which approximately 900 career firefighters and 500 volunteers serve side by side. Career and volunteer personnel take the same training courses and are held to the same standards while on duty.
Your first step is to select one of the Volunteer Fire Companies you would like to join:
Your second step is to e-mail DeAndre Thomas at DaThomas@fvfc34.org
We look forward to hearing from you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements for membership?
No prior training or experience is required. You just need to be willing and able to make the commitment to a lot of training, especially in your first 12-18 months. If you have good work references and character references and you pass a thorough physical, our membership will most likely vote you into probationary membership and give you a chance to prove your dedication. You will also need to be fingerprinted by Fire/Rescue Internal Affairs in order to run a required criminal background check; please note that a criminal record does not automatically disqualify you from serving with the fire department – it’s a case-by-case decision to be made by our active membership. Those who plan on riding apparatus will be required to take a physical that is paid for by the county.
What is the time commitment?
Each member company has their own membership commitements. You will have to check that out with tthe company you select.
When are EMT classes and firefighter classes held?
Emergency Medical Technician and Firefighter I & II are the most time-consuming and demanding classes you will take in your first 2-3 years in the fire service. They are offered on a variety of schedules: weeknights, weekends, a combination of nights and weekends, and even full-time Monday through Friday for five intense weeks during the summer. The Academy has fall, spring and summer sessions; the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute in College Park, which is a fallback option if no Academy course schedules work for you, is part of the University of Maryland and is on a semester schedule. EMT training is considered a college-level science course, and is recognized by most colleges and universities for 6-8 credits; firefighter training, while more physically rigorous, also has a significant academic component.
Do I have to take both EMT and firefighter courses?
In Anne Arundel County, all firefighters are also EMTs. EMTs do not have to be firefighters, and about half of our members are “EMS only” personnel.
What’s the difference between an EMT and a paramedic?
Emergency Medical Technicians, or Basic Life Support providers, have about 235 hours of medical training and serve as field agents of a doctor (the EMS medical director of their jurisdiction). EMTs are trained to assess and triage medical emergencies and to stabilize patients for safe transport to an emergency room, trauma center or specialty center; most interventions performed by EMTs are noninvasive (such as spinal immobilization, oxygen administration or CPR). Paramedics have about 2,000 hours of training and are independently licensed Advanced Life Support providers; they can start IVs, interpret EKGs and insert endotracheal tubes. EMTs can administer nine medications that can be swallowed, inhaled or injected; paramedics can administer more than 30 medications, mostly by IV. (In between, EMT-Intermediates, with about 600 hours of training, can perform most of the same ALS skills as a paramedic, but with less science coursework; therefore, they need to radio a doctor for authorization in many cases where a paramedic could act independently.)
Do you have to be a volunteer first in order to become a career firefighter?
It certainly helps, but it is neither a requirement for the job nor a guarantee of getting it. There are many applicants for every available paid firefighter position in Anne Arundel County and competition is intense. If a firefighting career is your goal, then some volunteer experience will help you prepare for the selection process, but don’t expect it to be much of a shortcut.
How much does it cost to be a member?
Application Fees and Annual Dues differs between companies. All of your required training, uniforms, personal gear, and entry and annual physicals are free
Do volunteers get paid?
No. That’s why we’re called volunteers. Maryland tax breaks for those who have been active members for three full years; free Ride-On bus passes and discounts on other county services; and a pension fund (Length-of-Service Awards Program) for senior members who meet certain criteria. But there is no hourly wage or pay per call. Property Tax Credit for those who qualify.
Are there minimum and maximum ages for volunteers?
You must be at least 16 years old to join, and if you are under 18, you need written permission from a parent or guardian and you are required to stay in school and maintain a passing GPA. Minors are not allowed to be on duty or in the fire station after 10 p.m. on a school night.
What does the physical include?
The Fire/Rescue Occupational Medical Section clinic physical is based on National Fire Protection Association standards for firefighter fitness and is typically 2-3 hours long. In addition to an ordinary general physical exam, it includes a treadmill test, lung capacity test, vision and hearing tests, a chest X-ray, and two consecutive skin tests for tuberculosis. In addition, you will need to fast for 12 hours for baseline blood and urine tests; you can have this done as part of your physical or go to FROMS on a walk-in basis up to two weeks before your scheduled physical.
I just had a TB test or a fire department physical in another jurisdiction. Will that count?
Almost never. The FROMS physical is more thorough than most other occupational physicals and very few other agencies’ physicals are accepted.
Once I join, how soon can I ride apparatus?
You need to complete certain basic training before you can ride as an observer. It usually takes about two months. All county personnel, paid or volunteer, take short online courses in cultural diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity law; in addition, you need to be trained in HIPAA (medical privacy law), workplace hazards, bloodborne and airborne pathogens, and CPR for healthcare providers (which is different from AHA “Heartsaver” or Red Cross CPR training for lay rescuers). You also need to learn and demonstrate familiarity with all of the equipment carried on the apparatus you will be riding, and you need to go to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department logistics warehouse in Severn to be issued gear and uniforms.
As a prospective applicant, we invite you to ride along on the ambulance or fire engine for a few hours when staffing permits and subject to the operational needs of the fire/rescue service.
Do you have any administrative (non-riding) membership positions?
Most member companies have administrative member or an auxiliary
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