Why Join?
We are a full-service EMS, fire, and rescue organization that relies on our volunteers to supplement career staffing during weekdays and to staff our station 100% every weeknight, weekend, and holiday. As a volunteer with LVRS, you will have endless opportunities to learn about the emergency response system, participate as a member of our team, and make a real difference in your community. We are looking for candidates to help us provide quality emergency medical, fire, and rescue services to the city of Laurel and the greater Laurel community.
Worried you may not have what it takes to be a volunteer emergency responder?
Don’t be! Many of our members were unsure when they first signed up, too. Take the first step: contact us. Speak with our Membership Committee. You’ll never know unless you try.
Our members are ordinary people: the cashier that served you at the grocery store, the IT specialist that answered your computer questions over the phone, or even the kid down the street riding his skateboard. Our members are truck drivers, security guards, nurses, health care providers, human resource managers, life guards, students, administrative assistants, and consultants to name a few. We even have a couple of rocket scientists.
There are some things you do need to consider when you think about volunteering. Being an Active Operational volunteer emergency responder can be time-consuming. Our station requires our Active Operational membership to stay overnight in the station, once per week, the same night every week. We also require all of our active operational members to become certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) within 18 months of joining. Good news! The training is free for all volunteers. Like most Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute classes, it is held in the evenings to accommodate volunteers’ daily work and life schedules. Volunteering as an emergency responder also means lots of continuing education, annual training, and regular participation in hands-on skills sessions. If you already have a hectic schedule that makes you pull your hair out, this may not be the best time for you to volunteer with us. We’ll be here when you’re ready.
You also need to know that volunteering with our station means you will have to pass a background investigation. Active operational members will also need to take a physical which includes passing an exercise stress test on a treadmill. If you decide you want to try volunteering, start walking now.
Some of the Perks
- FREE training and advancement
- FREE equipment
- Valuable training that can transfer to career positions and college credits
- Tuition reimbursement
- Yearly MD state tax deduction of $5,000 after 3 years of service
- Live-in opportunities
- LOSAP/Length of Service Award Program (retirement) for those who complete 25 years of service and have reached age 55, or those who complete 10 years of service and age 70 receive a reduced benefit
- Annual county and Maryland state conventions
- Functions where family and children can participate
- Lifelong friendships and camaraderie
- Life insurance for Members who successfully complete probation or 1 year of active service
Why do our volunteers volunteer?
I guess you are asking yourself now, why go through all of this to do a job and receive no pay. Some of our members volunteer so that they can get ahead in the healthcare field. Others volunteer hoping to be hired by jurisdictional or federal fire departments. Some volunteer because they feel a need to give back to their communities. And believe it or not, some of our members just have a lot of extra free time on their hands.
There is no denying that many of our members volunteer because they enjoy developing and using their abilities to manage crisis situations. Emergencies differ from one to the next which requires expanded critical thinking. There is always something to learn, some new skill to master. Volunteering in the Fire/EMS service gives each and every volunteer a creative outlet and the chance to be extraordinary.
Volunteering can provide you with a sense of purpose. It gives you a chance to build stronger relationships and to be part of our LVRS family. Studies have shown that people who choose to volunteer are more likely to live a longer and healthier life. The greatest reward, though, is that warm feeling in your heart when you know that your actions, as a volunteer, have helped see a neighbor, or a stranger, through a very difficult time. There is no greater satisfaction. There is no greater return on your investment.
So….are you ready to talk with us about volunteering? Want to experience LVRS life during a Ride-Along, schedule that today!