Firefighters

Our department operates with 3-Shifts which cycle through a rotating schedule. Our schedule consists of a series of 24-hour shifts, beginning with 1-day on followed by a day off, then a day on followed by a day off, and finally a day on followed by 4-days off.

A firefighter begins his day at 7 am. Upon arriving at his assigned station he discusses any significant events from the previous day with the crew coming off duty. At 8 am the entire shift begins their daily fire apparatus inspections which involves detailed, systematic inspections, and maintenance of all equipment contained within the trucks to ensure that the equipment is where it is supposed to be and in good working condition. Truck checks are typically completed just before lunch.

Firefighters are a tightly knit group and enjoy eating together. Meal preparation like all aspects of the fire service is a team effort, each firefighter shares the food preparation and clean-up duties involved with every meal.

Every firefighter at WLTFD has various ongoing areas of responsibility that occupy him daily, for instance maintaining this web site. Also, firefighters engage in daily training that can last several hours in an effort to improve the delivery of emergency services to their community and to stay current with new technology. Firefighters are also committed to a daily building maintenance schedule involving maintenance of various station appliances and machinery.

Every shift maintains a high level of courtesy in regards to the condition the living quarters is left in for the next shift, since we share living quarters this is very important.

A firefighter's job is physically demanding and can become quickly overwhelming if he/she is not physically fit, therefore it is not unusual to find firefighters working out after business hours.

Finally, the most important aspect of a firefighter's job is to respond to emergency calls whenever they may occur. No matter what activity a firefighter may be involved in, when an emergency is reported it immediately becomes his top priority.

After dinner is completed, typically around 6pm, and the station is cleaned up, firefighters will prepare for bed. Firefighters sleep at the stations and are alerted to emergency calls by loud tones heard throughout the station that are triggered by the 911 dispatch center. These tones are followed by the call information reported by the dispatcher.