Today, volunteer firefighters are called Reserve Firefighters. The Reserve Firefighter Program was developed as an alternative method of providing service to the District and provide valuable on the job experience to members of the community with an interest in firefighting or community service. Many Reserves come to the District with little or no experience in firefighting. In exchange for a minimum two year commitment, new Reserve Firefighters are assigned to a shift, given a career firefighter to act as a mentor, and provided necessary training. Reserves without their Colorado Firefighter certification are put through a 12 week Firefighter academy with Boulder County, as well as Colorado Hazardous Materials Operations class. Reserves are outfitted with gear from our quartermaster and also encouraged to attend EMT classes. Reserve firefighters gain valuable and marketable skills through their training, education, and on shift experience, and the District benefits through higher staffing levels for emergency incidents. Reserves work a minimum number of hours each month, and can qualify for a small stipend once they complete initial training.
Recruitment is highly selective, requiring candidates to submit to an AIMS Community College placement test, Physical Agility Test, Skills Assessment, interviews and a background check. Successful candidates then are given 12 months to complete certification in the following:
Firefighter I
Hazmat Ops
CPR
1st Responder or EMT
NWCG 130/190 (Wildland “Redcard”)
If you are interested in volunteering to be a reserve with BFPD, you can request to be added to an interest list by emailing info@www.berthoudfire.org
Watch this website and our Facebook page for the next recruitment process.