BECOME A NANUET VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER TODAY!

The Nanuet Fire Department has been faced with decreased membership and increased call volumes over the past several years. Like most Volunteer Fire Departments in Rockland County, the Nanuet Fire Department needs to bolster its ranks so it can continue to provide the optimum level of fire protection to our community.

We are currently recruiting residents to become Volunteer Firefighters. No experience is necessary as we will train you to become one of Nanuet’s Bravest! This is your chance to make a difference in your community and get involved in something rewarding. Volunteer Firefighters offer one of the only public safety services that directly impacts the community, where we tirelessly protect our families, neighbors, and friends.

To be eligible for membership, you must be at least sixteen (16) years of age, have a valid NYS drivers license, be physically fit, and reside within the Nanuet Fire District. Upon acceptance into membership, new members will  be required to complete the New York State Firefighter I training course and attend weekly drills.

If you are interested in joining, please complete and submit the online application and background check. Links to both of these forms are provided below. Once we receive these forms, a member of the membership committee will contact you. Help us and your community by becoming a Nanuet Volunteer Firefighter today!

ONLINE APPLICATION          BACKGROUND CHECK

Nanuet Fire Department (Age 16 & Older)

The Nanuet Fire Department is always looking for new members, starting at age 16. If you are interested in becoming a member, the first step is to fill out the online application and background check or stop by the Nanuet Fire Department on any Monday evening between the hours of 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. For more information call the Membership Committee at (845) 406-0570.

Rockland County Explorers Post (Ages 14 – 21)

Are you interested in the fire service and ready to learn firefighting basics? If so, the Rockland County Explorers Post 44 is looking for you. Firefighting gear and uniforms are provided. All you need is your willingness to learn. The Explorers meet on two Sundays a month from 6:00PM to 9:00PM at the Rockland County Fire Training Center. You will receive both hands on and classroom training. This is a great program to get you ready to become a member of the Nanuet Fire Department. For more information call Mike Conklin at (914) 557-5681 or Carol Cich at (845) 323-2712.

Rockland County Youth Academy (Ages 12 - 15)

If you are considering in becoming a volunteer firefighter, we have an exciting opportunity for you. The Rockland County Fire Youth Academy is open to all students from ages 12 through 15 who reside in Rockland County. The youth academy is designed to provide the participant with an introduction to the fire and emergency services and the program is based on the National (FEMA) Student Emergency Response Team (SERT). The youth academy is not designed to provide all the training necessary to prepare the participant to become a volunteer firefighter. This program will give the participant an overview of the many hours of classroom and hands-on-training before an individual can respond to emergencies in our communities. In this class the participant will learn about fire extinguishment, removing trapped victims from automobile accidents, and many other functions performed by our Rockland County Emergency Services. Many of the academy sessions will include hands-on-training, incident scenarios along with classroom lectures. The class size will be limited to 25 participants so each participant can receive the optimum training experience. During the entire program stringent safety procedures will be followed to ensure the safety of the participants; so we can provide the participant with a safe and rewarding educational experience. The Youth Academy meets at the Rockland County Fire Training Center from April 11 to April 19, 2025. If you are interested please call the Fire Training Center at (845) 364-8800 or email Pete Byrne at byrnep@co.rockland.ny.us for more information.

~  ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE STUDENTS ~

~ VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER FACTS ~

It would cost American taxpayers $37.3 billion dollars annually if all volunteer firefighters nationwide were replaced with career staffing. This number has increased dramatically over the past few years. A report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates that the monetary value of donated time from volunteer firefighters is $140.7 billion dollars.

There are 783,300 volunteer firefighters in the U.S., comprising 69% of the nation’s fire service.

The majority of fire departments in the United States are volunteer.

Of the total 30,100 fire departments in the country, 20,050 are all volunteer; 5,445 are mostly volunteer; 1,995 are mostly career; and 2,610 are all career.

Services contributed by volunteer firefighters save localities across the country an estimated $140.7 billion dollars per year.

Small and mid-sized communities rely heavily on volunteer firefighters. Communities with a population of 2,500 and under rely almost entirely on volunteer departments.

The number of volunteer firefighters in the U.S. has declined dramatically over the past several years. Major factors contributing to the decline include:

• Increased time demands to be a firefighter due to increased training requirements, increasing call volumes, and a wider variety of services expected of fire departments.
• Less time available for individuals to volunteer due to factors such as the increase of two-income families and longer commuting distances to work.
• Change in attitudes among the public such as less focus on volunteering, loss of community pride or feeling that one should give back, employers less willing to let employees off to run calls

While the number of volunteer firefighters is declining, the age of volunteer firefighters is increasing.

Fire department call volumes have nearly doubled in the last 10 years, mainly due to a sharp increase in the number of false alarms and a wider variety of services expected of fire departments.

ONLINE APPLICATION          BACKGROUND CHECK