WHITEFISH FIRE DEPARTMENT
275 Flathead Avenue – PO Box 158 – Whitefish, Montana 59937
REFERENCE GUIDE
VOLUNTEER APPLICATION PROCESS, INITIAL TRAINING
REQUIREMENTS & MEMBERSHIP EXPECTATIONS
Purpose:
In order to provide depth and breadth to our career firefighter staffing the Whitefish Fire Department shall
operate and maintain a group of volunteer firefighters. This guide is intended to layout the requirements for
membership, the application process, and ongoing expectations of a volunteer firefighter for the City of
Whitefish Fire Department.
Scope:
This Reference Guide is used as a tool to help potential candidates understand the process, requirements, and
commitment they’re making should they decide to apply. This document does not supersede any rules,
regulations, or policies of the City of Whitefish or the Whitefish Fire Department. If you have the DESIRE,
the ABILITY, but most importantly the TIME we’d love to have you apply to volunteer as an Operational
Reserve. Operational Reserves are volunteer firefighters who support our career Firefighter/EMS-Providers
in any number of different job areas by responding to emergency calls and working as part of our team.
Benefits:
Free fire, hazmat, ICS, and wildland training with medical CE opportunities. Volunteer Firefighter Pension
and the opportunity to serve the community. Limited per call reimbursement.
Standard abbreviations
AEMT – Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
CIS – Critical Incident Stress
CPAT – Candidate Physical Agility Test
EMR – Emergency Medical Responder
EMS – Emergency Medical Services
EMT – Emergency Medical Technician
IAFF – International Association of Fire Fighters (the labor union)
IPAT – Incumbent Physical Agility Test
NFPA – National Fire Protection Agency
NWCG – National Wildland Coordinating Group
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
SAP – Standard Administrative Policies
SOG – Standard Operational Guidelines
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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS {per Montana Code Annotated 7-33-4107 & the Whitefish FD}
___ 1. Must be a citizen of the United States;
___ 2. Must reside within the City of Whitefish or the surrounding Rural Fire Service Area; consideration
may be given to applicants residing outside the Whitefish Fire Department response area based on the
ability to meet the emergency response requirements.
___ 3. Must be 18-years of age or older;
___ 4. Must hold a valid high school diploma or GED;
___ 5. Must possess or be eligible for a valid Montana or out-of-state Driver’s License. A valid Montana
Driver’s License must be obtained prior to completing probation;
___ 6. Must not have been convicted of a crime for which the applicant could have been imprisoned in a
Federal or State penitentiary; and
___ 7. Shall be able to successfully complete the Whitefish Fire Department’s physical exam, appropriate
CPAT (Candidate’s Physical Agility Test) and a comprehensive background check.
APPLICATION PROCESS
___ 1. Submit a completed Whitefish Fire Department’s Operational Reserve Application;
___ 2. Submit a completed Personal Physician’s Approval form;
___ 3. Submit a copy of your current driver’s license and driver’s history report;
___ 4. Submit a list of three references we can contact;
___ 5. Meet with either the Fire Chief, other Chief Officer, or a Captain to:
___ - review job requirements and expectations (emphasis on the TIME COMMITMENT);
___ - sign background check permission forms;
___ - sign confidentiality form;
___ - schedule a 7am to 7pm ride-along with each shift (A, B, and C); and
___ - tour facility / Q&A.
SELECTION PROCESS
___ 1. Applicant completes a ½ shift ride-along with A-shift;
___ 2. Applicant completes a ½ shift ride-along with B-shift;
___ 3. Applicant completes a ½ shift ride-along with C-shift;
___ 4. Applicant completes appropriate CPAT during any one of their ride-alongs;
___ 5. Officers meet and review; application, references, background check, and inputs from each shift
ride-along. Selection is made.
___ 6. Applicant notified.
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MEMBERSHIP CLASSIFICATION TERMS
Applicant: A person who has submitted a completed application and is active in the
selection process.
Probationary Firefighter: AKA Probie. The first 6-month period of time allowing the volunteer to learn
the position, demonstrate the time commitment needed to be successful, and
for the Fire Department’s Officers to evaluate a volunteer’s potential and
performance. During the probationary period the Fire Chief may terminate a
volunteer with or without cause.
Candidate: A volunteer working towards completion of the initial training requirements
for at least one of the volunteer firefighter job descriptions.
Rookie: A firefighter during their first year on the job. A fire service tradition where a
new firefighter demonstrates their commitment to the job, this is NOT a hazing
period. During this year the new firefighter builds the relationships needed to
be a successful member of our highly effective team.
Operational: A firefighter who has met all the initial requirements and maintains the
incumbent requirements for one or more of the specific volunteer firefighter
job positions; Ambulance Driver, EMS-Provider, Exterior Firefighter, Interior
Firefighter, Driver/Operator, or Commissioned Firefighter.
Commissioned Firefighter: A firefighter who has met all the requirements for the all encompassing job of
a Firefighter/EMS-Provider for the City of Whitefish Fire Department. {Same
requirements as our career Firefighter/EMS-Providers}
FIRE DEPARTMENT AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONS
Whitefish Fire Department: A department within the City of Whitefish that through an intergovernmental
agreement also provides fire and rescue services to the surrounding Whitefish
Fire Service Area and EMS to a portion of the county through an agreement
with Flathead County EMS. We are a combination fire department with
firefighters who are paid to do the job and those who volunteer to do the job.
Whitefish Fire Service Area: An area outside the City of Whitefish governed by an appointed Board of
Trustees who contract with the City for fire protection.
Whitefish Professional Firefighters Association: The full time career Firefighters’ and Company Officers’
(Captains and Lieutenants) labor union; IAFF Local 3995.
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Whitefish Firefighter Association, Inc.: A not-for-profit membership organization made up of all operational
firefighters (Chief Officers and Firefighters: career, part-time, and volunteer)
organized to support the mission of the Whitefish Fire Department.
Fire Department Relief Association of the City of Whitefish, Inc.: An organization that monitors and
manages the volunteer firefighter pension funds. {Montana Code Annotated
Title 19, Chapter 18}.
FIRE DEPARTMENT POSITIONS
Fire Chief: Shall have sole command and control over all persons connected with the fire
department {Montana Code Annotated 7-33-4104}.
Assistant Chief(s): Shall assist the Fire Chief and in the Chief’s absence perform the Chief’s duties. The
City Council shall determine the number of Assistant Fire Chiefs.
Fire Marshal: Assists the Fire Chief in providing fire prevention and investigation services for the
City of Whitefish. This position may be combined with an Assistant Chief position.
Captain: One of three on-duty shift managers that run the day to day operations of the fire
department during their shift. Captains are members of IAFF Local 3995.
Lieutenant: A layer of supervision that would assist the Captains, at this time the Whitefish Fire
Department does not fill this position. Lieutenants would be members of IAFF Local
3995.
Career Firefighters: Are Commissioned Firefighters that are full time employees working for the City of
Whitefish and members of IAFF Local 3995.
Part-Time Firefighters: Are Commissioned Firefighters that are unscheduled part-time employees of the City
of Whitefish that respond to emergency incidents and may fill a career slot per the
City’s agreement with IAFF 3995. Part-time Firefighters are not represented by the
union, IAFF 3995.
Operational Reserve Firefighters: Are volunteer Firefighters who fill one or more of the specific volunteer
job positions in support of the fire department’s emergency response.
Non-Operational Reserves: Are volunteers who donate their time to assist the fire department in their area of
expertise that does not include emergency response, for example; clerical, historian,
chaplain, or other duties as agreed to by the Fire Chief.
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INITIAL APPLICATION PAPERWORK CHECK-LIST:
___ - Completed application
___ - List of References we can contact
___ - Completed Physician Approval Form
___ - Copy of High School Diploma or GED
___ - Copy of Montana Driver’s License
___ - Copy of Driver’s History Report
___ - Copy of any Fire, EMS, Wildland or Rescue certifications
___ - Completed CPAT (Whitefish’s Candidate Physical Agility Test)
___ - Completed I-9
___ - Successful background check
___ - Completed Emergency Contact Sheet
___ - Signed Acknowledgement City’s Personnel Policy
INITIAL ISSUED PAPERWORK, PPE, UNIFORMS, ETC.
___ - Copy of the City of Whitefish Rules and Regulations;
___ - Copy of the Whitefish Fire Department’s SAPs and SOGs;
___ - Probationary Red Rookie tee shirt;
___ - Blue BDU pants provided by candidate;
___ - Black boots or shoes provided by candidate;
___ - PPE based on job position working towards, provided by the fire dept.;
___ - Gear locker space at station 21
INITIAL WHITEFISH FIRE DEPARTMENT ORIENTATION TRAINING
___ - Intro to the City of Whitefish Fire Department
___ - City Policy, FD’s SAPs and SOGs
___ - Chain of Command
___ - HIPAA
___ - Infection Control
___ - Paper Work (attendance, training, roster, 1st report of injury, etc.)
___ - HAZCOM / MSDS
___ - Lockout / Tagout
___ - CIS
INITIAL WFD TRAINING, REQUIRED OF ALL OPERATIONAL POSITIONS
___ - American Heart Association’s CPR for the Professional Rescuer
___ - FEMA’s Incident Command IS-700, IS-100, and IS-200 (available online)
___ - Hazmat Awareness per NFPA 472
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INITIAL TRAINING FOR EACH VOLUNTEER OPERATIONAL POSITION
Operational reserves are volunteers who fill one or more of our Whitefish Fire Department job positions.
A volunteer shall be classified as probationary for at least 6-months, and until they complete at least one of
the operational reserve positions. Any probationary member failing to complete the requirements for at least
one position within the year will automatically be dropped from the operational reserve rolls.
Initial Training for Operational Reserve Ambulance Driver
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Orientation Training (see above).
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Operational Training (see above).
___ - Must hold a valid Montana EMR, EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic license.
___ - Successfully completed the Whitefish FD’s Emergency Vehicle Driver Course.
___ - Successfully complete the WFD’s Ambulance Driver Task Book with approval
signatures from each shift Captain.
Initial Training for Operational Reserve EMS Provider
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Orientation Training (see above).
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Operational Training (see above).
___ - Must hold a valid Montana EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic license.
___ - Successfully complete the WFD’s EMS-Provider Task Book with approval
signatures from each shift Captain.
Initial Training for Operational Reserve Exterior Firefighter (non-SCBA use)
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Orientation Training (see above).
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Operational Training (see above).
___ - Must complete the following portions of NFPA Firefighter 1
- Fire Service History
- NFPA 1500 Safety
- Accountability
- PPE
- Communications
- Fire Behavior
- Building Construction
- Scene lighting
- Fire extinguishers
- Rope webbing knots
- Forcible entry
- Ground ladders
- Water Supply
- Fire Hose
- Public Education
- Fire Inspection / preplanning
___ - May complete NWCG Wildland Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2)
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Initial Training for Operational Reserve Interior Firefighter
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Orientation Training (see above).
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Operational Training (see above).
___ - Must successfully complete NFPA’s Hazardous Material Awareness & Operations
___ - Must successfully complete NFPA’s Firefighter I and II
___ - Must successfully complete NWCG’s Wildland Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2)
Initial Training for Operational Reserve Driver / Operator
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Orientation Training (see above).
___ - Must have completed all the Initial FD Operational Training (see above).
___ - Successfully completed the Whitefish FD’s Emergency Vehicle Driver Course.
___ - Successfully complete each of the WFD’s Driver Task Book with approval from each
shift Captain for each vehicle category:
- Brush trucks (type 6 engines)
- Tenders
- Rescue
- Fire Engines (type 1 engines)
___ - May complete WFD’s Driver Task Books with Captains’ approval for:
- UTV
- Hover Craft
- Fire Boat
Initial Training for an “Extra Board” position which would allow the volunteer to fill a vacancy in the onduty
staffing level when none of the career staff is available.
___ - Operational Reserve EMS-Provider
___ - Operational Reserve Interior Firefighter
___ - Operational Reserve Driver / Operator
INCUMBENT MEMBERS’ REQUIREMENTS
In order to truly meet the purpose of the WFD Volunteer Program our volunteers’ must respond to
emergency calls and assist the career staff in meeting the operational duties of the Whitefish Fire
Department. Emergency response is a PARTICIPATION team activity.
As Chief Alan Brunacini says, “It’s all about who shows up and goes to work”.
To be quite honest for those volunteers interested in the position of Ambulance Driver and/or EMS-Provider
that means:
1. Spending time at the station where the Captain can assign you a position on our 1st out
ambulance.
2. Being on-call where the Captain could contact you for our scheduled IFT.
3. Respond to the station whenever the 1st ambulance rolls to cover the 2nd out ambulance.
For those volunteers interested I assisting during fire and rescue situations you either need to be here to
respond with the crew or be cleared to drive and operate our vehicles so when you respond you can bring
equipment to the scene.
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INCUMBENT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS **Under development**
Once a volunteer is cleared to operate in one or more of the job positions they must maintain the position by
meeting the MINIMUM requirements for each position listed below. Besides the training requirements
placed upon us by governing agencies like OSHA, Montana’s Board of Medical Examiners, FEMA, NWCG,
ISO, and the NFPA, to name a few, firefighting is a team sport and we must practice together as a team.
The world we operate in is always changing so we must maintain the knowledge and skills obtained during
our initial training and develop new knowledge and skills to keep pace with our changing world. More
important that an individual’s knowledge and skills is synergy of our team that can only be developed by
training and working together. In the nut shell that means, “SHOW UP”.
Training for Operational Reserve Ambulance Driver
___ - Must maintain a valid Montana EMR, EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic license.
___ - Must attend a yearly driver safety training
Training for Operational Reserve EMS Provider
___ - Must maintain a valid Montana EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic license.
___ - Must attend XX-hours of EMS training per year
Training for Operational Reserve Exterior Firefighter (non-SCBA use)
___ - Must attend XX-hours of Firefighter Training per year
___ - Must attend XX-hours of Hazmat Training per year
___ - Must attend XX-hours of Wildland Training per year
Training for Operational Reserve Interior Firefighter
___ - Must attend XX-hours of Firefighter Training per year
___ - Must attend XX-hours of smoke/live-fire training per year
___ - Must attend XX-hours of Hazmat Training per year
___ - Must attend XX-hours of Wildland Training per year
Training for Operational Reserve Driver / Operator
___ - Must attend a yearly driver safety training
___ - Must attend XX-hours of fire training per year
Training for an Extra Board position are required to maintain all of the following:
___ - Operational Reserve EMS-Provider
___ - Operational Reserve Interior Firefighter
___ - Operational Reserve Driver / Operator