JMU students discuss volunteering at local fire department

College of Integrated Science and Engineering
 

SUMMARY: Amid the time commitment, training sessions and high-stress scenarios, Butters and the rest of the student volunteers are motivated to continue because of the benefit they bring to the Rockingham County community.


By: Jillian Wright | The Breeze

Chris Butters, a junior Integrated Science and Technology major (left), and Mike Miller, a sophomore kinesiology major (right), serve together at Hose Company 4 as volunteer firefighters.

It’s 3 a.m., and JMU student firefighters are standing behind gushing hoses, under pounds of gear, working to fight a fire somewhere in Rockingham County. They’ve been fighting the blaze since 7 p.m., and the assignments they have due in a few hours add even more stress to their life-threatening situation. 

“Some people play sports, we run into burning buildings,” said Mike Miller, a sophomore kinesiology major and local volunteer firefighter and EMT.

From April 19 to 21, Hose Company 4, a firehouse in downtown Harrisonburg, waited to provide assistance in fighting the Rocky Mount Fire. Miller is one of 22 JMU students who volunteer as firefighters and rescue personnel at the local firehouse, which serves the Rockingham County area. 

“We got requested to send an engine down,” Miller said. “I was in a meeting and I just kind of dipped out the back.”

Miller began fighting fires in his hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, something that’s common for student volunteers who volunteer at Hose Company 4. Miller serves as a senior firefighter under Fire Lt. Chris Butters, a junior integrated science and technology major. 

Butters is the only JMU student who’s an operational officer within Hose Company 4, and he leads a group of firefighters both on the scene and in the firehouse.

“We literally have each other’s lives in our hands,” Butters said. “We’re going into a structure that might collapse that’s on fire that, you know, you’re trusting … your buddy who’s with you to make sure that you’re safe.”

Together, the student firefighters share a truly unique JMU experience. Butters says balancing his school work and the fire department takes strong time management skills. 

“I still haven’t really mastered it,” Butters said. “You have to be able to build flexibility into your schedule because if you’re on shift or running a call, it could be anywhere from five minutes or five hours that you’re gone.”

Student volunteers are responsible for working when the full-time volunteers are off, which is usually from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. When student firefighters are on call once or twice a week, Butters said that he sleeps “anywhere from a couple of hours to maybe an hour or two depending on the night.” 

While volunteers are only required to log 16 hours of duty a month, many end up serving more simply because they enjoy it. 

However, learning time management skills may not be the biggest challenge for these students. Often, JMU student firefighters need to balance what they see on the scene with normal, everyday college life. 

Read the full story in the JMU Breeze

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Published: Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Last Updated: Thursday, November 2, 2023

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