There are many roles for volunteers within South Kitsap Fire & Rescue.

A typical fire response, for example, will alert the volunteer suppression firefighting members who schedule their lives in order to respond during one week out of every three week period. Suppression volunteers (firefighters) are the local heroes who have the drive to go through the training which allows them to work side by side with the career firefighters of the Department on any fire scene.

Also toned to respond to a fire are the support services. Primarily associated to the Air unit and Tenders. The Air unit is designed to refill the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottles for the suppression personnel. Volunteer tender operators are summoned to the call if the area is known to have no or insufficient hydrant coverage.

Then there are those in the Chaplain program, providing personal assistance to the individuals experiencing the tragedy. They provide personal support and avenues for farther assistance if needed.

Volunteer functions go beyond the scope of responding to fire and medical emergencies though. Community volunteers are involved in prevention as well. The Home Safety team is a prime example. They provide free home inspections and smoke detectors to residents within SKFR‘s response area.

Over the years, the collection of these individuals have made up a group known as the SKFR Volunteer Association and have expanded beyond the familiar focus of supplementing career resources for the fire and medical needs of the citizens. Still maintaining both call responses and participating in District-organized activities such as “Give Burns the Boot” and the Safety Fair, the association has expanded in its personal support of the community.

See Our Community for more information.