BENEFITS
Volunteering can be a hugely rewarding experience! It’s an opportunity to serve your community, an opportunity for career growth, an opportunity to find a purpose and to build more than friendships.
Flexible Scheduling
Work/life balance is extremely important to the success of our department which is why our fire stations offer flexible duty shift scheduling.
You can “live life,” study, and work around volunteering. A new volunteer member without any experience can expect to spend 200-400 hours their first year going through the application process, initial training, events, company meetings etc.
FREE TRAINING
Whether you are a fire/ems veteran or a rookie, we offer a variety of FREE training for active volunteer members of the department through county, state, federal programs as well as our own.
Classes range from basic to advanced fire, rescue, EMS and leadership courses at locations throughout Prince George’s County and the region. Classes are conveniently scheduled to meet just about anyone’s needs, including nights and weekends.
STATE TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAMS
Volunteers may take advantage of Maryland state programs related to Fire/EMS degrees, see details below:
Charles W. Riley Fire & Emergency Medical Services Tuition Reimbursement Program
Katha T. Parrish Memorial Scholarship Fund of the PGCFRA Ladies Auxiliary
The Maryland State Firemen’s Association (MSFA)
The MSFA offers scholarships for those pursuing fire science or medical emergency services. Starting on the 1st of June every year, the scholarship committee provides grants and scholarships to new applicants in cooperation with suitable universities, schools, or colleges within Maryland. The list of three awards currently offered includes:
The MSFA Dr. John L. Bryan Scholarship Award. The amount varies based on the availability of funds.
The Floyd B. Heimer Memorial Scholarship Award offers the amount worth $2000.00 per academic year.
The Delmarva Power Scholarship Award offers the amount worth $4,500.00 per academic year.
Live-in programs & private/semi-private bunkrooms
Details on this program vary from station to station. Some offer dedicated personal sleeping areas and others offer separate male and female living quarters and shower facilities.
Busy working professionals and out of state residents can utilize the bunkrooms to spend the night or a weekend at the station to complete volunteer hours. Also, college students appreciate these features the most as they can save money on tuition by living at the firehouse full-time in exchange for providing service to the community.
STATE Tax incentives
Maryland residents receive a $4,000 tax credit after three years of active service with a volunteer fire/EMS department in Prince George’s County.
SUPPLEMENTAL RETIREMENT INCOME
You may be donating your time for “free” but that doesn’t mean there are not financial incentives.
The Length of Service Award Program also known as L.O.S.A.P. allows our Volunteers to earn monthly retirement benefits upon reaching eligibility requirements.
JUNIOR EXPLORER PROGRAM
Some of our fire stations currently offer opportunities for 16-17 year old students.
Looking for information on joining a local volunteer fire/EMS department?
CONTACT OUR RECRUITER
Please Note: This is NOT an application. This is an inquiry for more information on how/where to volunteer. Our county recruiter will contact you, typically within 2-3 business days.