| Things You Need To Know Before Applying PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION FIRST! (The link to the application instructions page is near the bottom of this page.) |
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Most Important:
Much of what you read
below will seem like we are trying to discourage you
from being a firefighter. This
is not our intent. We simply want you to
know that making the commitment to be a
firefighter is a serious decision that WILL change your life style… and your life. Personal sacrifices will be extensive for you
and your family.
Even though we aren't a club or a fraternity, once you have become accepted by the rest of the crew and once we know you are as committed to serving the public as we are, you will be part of one of the most honorable and proudest professions in the world. You will be part of a brotherhood/sisterhood that has no equal outside of our elite military forces. Most importantly, you will be among friends that you can (and will) trust with your life and you will have the immense satisfaction of helping people in our community. In the course of performing our duties, we frequently operate in dangerous environments. You will be well trained and well equipped, but you need to know that this is not a risk free job that you are considering. |
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Family:
You
absolutely MUST consult with your family regarding all of
the obligations and expectations detailed
below. If your spouse, or significant
other does not read the information, understand the
commitment you are about to undertake and agree to
the tremendous demands it will place on your lives, we can almost guarantee that troubles will
follow. |
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Priorities:
If you
aren't willing to get out of bed at 3 a.m. in the
morning to go help someone you don't even know, or if
you won't be able to tear yourself away from a World
Series game, a championship game involving your
favorite NFL team or a NASCAR race, please don't fill
out an application.For fires and accidents, you will be on call 24/7, 365 days a year except when you working at your job, out of pager range or involved in a family emergency. You will be expected to respond while attending most family gatherings, while you are eating meals, while you are watching movies, during your normal sleeping hours and all sorts of other "inconvenient" times. There are a few exceptions (e.g., funerals, weddings, serious illness, working your regular job, in class, out of pager range), but the rest of us expect you to show up when we're paged out, if at all possible. There are times when your absence might put our safety or our lives in greater danger. |
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Training:
You will be required to attend the first firefighter certification class that is offered in Isabella County or close to the county line. Your travel costs will not be reimbursed, but NSFD will pay for the tuition and books for the basic classes sponsored by the Office of Fire Fighter Training and Mobile Medical Response. (If you took the same courses from a college, it would be expensive ... see “Additional Information” below). Firefighter training classes usually meet two nights a week (typically 6-10 pm) and every other Saturday (typically 8 am-4 pm) for six months; about 288 hours, total. Medical First Responder training is another 60-70 hours of class time. Upon successful completion of class work and testing, you will be nationally certified through the National Registry. |
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| Money/Benefits: You won't make a lot of
money as a Nottawa-Sherman firefighter/MFR.
We're paid by the event, not by the hour and we're
only paid once a year, usually in November. In
2021, the pay rate was $16 for each medical run, $16
per meeting and $18 for each fire or accident
run. For a structure fire, you might earn an
average of less than $3 an hour. In an average
year, if you make 30% of the events you can count on
a paycheck of less than $2,000. It's a nice
check for Christmas presents, but you won't live on
it for long.
In addition to our wages, our townships provide a very modest retirement program that grows in proportion to your participation. No health benefits are provided, other than a required physical examination by a contracted physician every 2 years. |
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Legalities:
You
must be 18 years old and hold a valid driver's
license.If you have a beard, you will have to shave it off. (A beard may cause your death.) If you have a felony conviction, we aren't allowed to hire you. Don't bother to apply. If you have had other troubles with obeying laws or with law enforcement officers, you may have a hard time at your interview with the NSFD Executive Board. |
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Fitness:
The Michigan State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Fire
Services, Office of Fire Fighter Training states
that, unless you have written
approval of a physician, you should not
participate in firefighter training if you have a
heart
condition, respiratory condition, other
physical condition or are pregnant.
On accident scenes, fire scenes and "full arrest" scenes, you will be working hard and long. These scenes can be physically and mentally challenging. If you have good health, average coordination, muscular strength, aren't afraid of climbing ladders or working on rooftops in a blizzard, aren't claustrophobic and you don't "freak out" at the sight of blood, torn flesh, dead bodies and screaming victims, you are probably a good candidate. Structural firefighting requires that you wear 40-50 lb. of clothing and equipment, including a SCBA (air pack), and a tight breathing mask over your face even in extremely hot and extremely cold weather. You and your partner may need to climb a ladder and feel your way through smoke filled structures wearing this gear while dragging a heavy, stiff, water filled hose with you. You will need the strength to drag a 250+ lb victim or fellow firefighter back out of a smoke filled building, if necessary. Because the lives of our fellow firefighters and the citizens we serve may depend on our actions, firefighters and Medical First Responders need to be unimpaired by alcohol or other drugs when performing our duties. NSFD has a zero tolerance alcohol policy. Smoking and consumption of alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the station. You will be prohibited from responding if you have been drinking. If you think your drinking habits will keep you from responding much of the time, please don't apply. |
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Hours:
You will be on probationary
status while you are attending firefighter
classes, but you will still be expected to
respond every time our department is paged out
to a fire or accident scene. You will also
be required to sign up and respond for routine
medical calls a couple of nights a week.
When you are enrolled in a class, these
commitments can total as much as 20-30 hours
a week (or as few as 6-8 hours a
week). You must be mentally
and physically prepared to meet these
requirements.
After your training has been completed and you are a certified firefighter and a licensed Medical First Responder, you will still need to attend a Tuesday night maintenance/business meeting and two Tuesday night training meetings every month. We also have mandatory training activities with other departments on several Saturdays during the year. Your total time commitment each year could be 200 hours or more. |
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Additional
Information:
In 2011, the Oakland Fire Academy charged $3,275 for the Firefighter I & II coursework and Kalamazoo Valley Community College charged $2,753.89 along with the following requirements:
• Interview with program manager. If
you are not a member of a department that will pay
your tuition and fees, Medical First Responder
courses can cost $400 to $700.
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