We are currently accepting applications for Volunteer Firefighter.
We are currently accepting applications for Volunteer Firefighter.
We are not currently accepting applications for Volunteer Firefighter.
who we are and what we do
Pleasant Hill Goshen Fire & Rescue is always seeking new volunteers to join our department. We are staffed primarily by our volunteers, who are trained in both fire suppression and Emergency Medical Services. Our volunteers cover a broad age range and come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of our volunteers choose to volunteer with our department as their entrance into a fire service career or to prepare for another healthcare related field; however, we also have plenty of volunteers who choose to volunteer with us solely due to a passion for helping the community.
All of our volunteer personnel complete an NFPA-accredited Firefighter 1 Academy, which certifies them as structural firefighters. This means that our volunteer firefighters can fight house fires, cut open cars to extricate victims of car crashes, break down doors to secure entry and locate victims of structure fires, and much more. Following Fire Academy, many of our volunteers choose to further their Emergency Medical Services skills by enrolling in an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) course at Lane Community College. We are able to provide these volunteers with tuition waivers in order to help offset the cost of the course, which allows us to have more of our personnel licensed as EMTs. An EMT license allows our volunteers to provide more advanced medical care to patients, such as placement of EKG’s, administration of medications, airway management during CPR, and patient assessments. For many of our volunteers seeking to become Firefighter/Paramedics, an EMT license is the first step in building skills and experience in Emergency Medicine.
program guidelines
The following guidelines apply to the Volunteer Firefighter Program.
- There is no residency requirement, all time volunteered will be on duty at one of our fire stations.
- Shift volunteers are assigned to one of 6 shifts and will be on shift for at least 12 hours every 6th day which could be either day or night or for 24 hours depending on the preference of the volunteer. Shift volunteers mimic traditional career firefighting schedules in preparation for future careers.
- Shift volunteers are eligible to receive tuition waivers towards EMT based courses at Lane Community College which may save over $7,000 on tuition costs in the first two years of the program.
- Uniforms, personal protective equipment and firefighting gear is all provided.
- All required firefighter training is provided after successful recruitment.
Requirements:
- All applicants must be at least the age of 18 by the start date of the academy.
- All applicants will complete a two-step interview process as part of our recruitment.
- All volunteers must successfully pass a comprehensive background investigation which includes criminal history.
- All volunteers must pass a drug and alcohol screen which includes use of marijuana.
- All volunteers must successfully complete a physical agility test prior to beginning fire academy.
recruitment and academy
Our recruitment process consists of the following:
- Completion of an application
- Successful passing of the screening process
- Extensive background check, drug test, and a physical examination
Upon successful completion of the above and appointment to the position of Recruit Volunteer Firefighter, you will move on to attending Fire Academy.
Fire Academy
We have two fire academies a year; both a Spring and a Fall Academy. They are approximately 3 months long and are run on alternating weekends (8am – 5pm both Saturday and Sunday) and Thursday nights from 6:30pm – 8:30pm.
Spring Academy Application Deadline: November 1
- Window to Apply Begins: September
- Screening Process: November – December
- Academy Begins: In January
Fall Academy Application Deadline: July 1
- Window to Apply Begins: May 1
- Screening Process: July – August
- Academy Begins: In September
The design of this schedule allows for students and those who work weekdays to participate in our Fire Academy with minimal disruption to their existing commitments. For example, we have had University of Oregon students, Lane Community College students, and people with full time jobs successfully complete our Fire Academy.
The weekends and Thursday nights of Fire Academy cover a variety of firefighting topics including:
- EMR
- Deploying fire hose from our fire engines
- Spraying and handling fire hose
- Carrying and raising ladders for victim rescue
- Forcible entry
- Dressing fire hydrants for water supply
- Vehicle stabilization and extrication.
Following the successful completion of Fire Academy, our volunteers become Probationary Firefighters and are assigned to a 12-hour shift that occurs every 6 days on a rotating shift schedule.
Following the end of the probationary year, volunteers who successfully complete a task book and testing process will end their probation. These firefighters are then eligible to participate in our Apparatus Operator academy, which allows them to learn how to drive our fire engines and operate the fire pumps on our fire apparatus.