As anyone who’s served as a firefighter can tell you, volunteers play a critical role in the fire service. Today, nearly 70% of firefighters in the United States are volunteers.
These everyday heroes sacrifice their free time to run into burning buildings, respond to car accidents, and train the community on fire safety—risking their lives to save others.
Since April is National Volunteer Month, I thought it was appropriate to write this blog saluting our nation’s volunteer firefighters for their service. I also wanted to highlight just a few of the many ways LION serves volunteer firefighters, so they can continue serving their communities.
(1) We hire them!
LION is proud to employ volunteer firefighters—because nobody knows what they need in the field better than firefighters themselves! They’re able to give us feedback about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to our turnout gear and training products.
We’re also proud to provide our employees with a firefighter-friendly work environment. LION understands that emergencies don’t respect a 9-5 schedule, and we give our employees the flexibility they need to respond to emergency calls.
Chris Dvorscak, one of our product training specialists, is a former fire chief and has been a volunteer firefighter for the past 17 years with the Guilderland Center Fire Department (New York). When we asked him about his experience being both a LION employee and a volunteer firefighter, he told us, “I'm lucky with LION being a fire department-friendly employee. If we get a fire call, I can tell my boss and go take care of the call.”
If you ask me, we’re the lucky ones to have folks like Chris working for us at LION!
(2) Training tools
Our company proudly offers digital training tools that are easily accessible to volunteer fire departments. We know live fire training isn’t always practical and can be very time consuming to conduct. Products like our ATTACK™ Digital Fire Training System can be set up quickly anywhere, allowing departments to simulate fires in real-world environments.
With our ATTACK system, volunteer firefighters like Chris can train in real-life locations such as local schools and hospitals, allowing departments to respond faster and more effectively when emergencies arise.
Volunteer departments also frequently rely on LION training products to lead fire safety outreach to their communities. From digital fire extinguisher training to our fire safety trailers, volunteer firefighters work to ensure that kids and adults alike are informed and trained on fire safety skills.
(3) Supporting worthy causes
LION firmly believes in giving back to those who give back so much to others. It’s one of our Core Beliefs. That’s why we’re a proud and long-standing supporter of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the voice of volunteer first responders in America.
NVFC advocates for these heroes before Congress, helps the fire service with recruitment and retention, and provides education and training. We’re proud to support the NVFC’s crucial efforts—and do whatever else we can to be a champion for volunteer firefighters.
(4) Continuing education for all
Finally, the LION Fire Academy provides all firefighters—volunteer and paid—with free access to advice, guidelines, and tips on how to store and maintain their turnout gear safely. The Academy is valid for all brands of fire gear, plus everyone who completes the online course receives Continuing Education Units.
These are just a few small ways LION supports America’s volunteer firefighters. This National Volunteer Month, I hope you’ll join me in showing our appreciation for their sacrifices.
Nationally, the number of volunteer firefighters has been on the decline, so most fire departments nationwide are looking for volunteers. So if you’re considering answering the call, I’ll leave you with something our friend Chris Dvorscak said on the subject: “Take the time and find out what's going on in your community. It's never a bad thing to join.”
— Steve Schwartz, CEO, LION