Volunteer Firefighting SOGs and SOPs

Every department needs to have a document with the rules governing the department, and no matter whether you call it bylaws or a constitution, the principles are the same.  

As I sit here in the cold, rainy, unpredictable weather of Connecticut, I cannot help but look forward to the next ‘Cruisin for Solutions’… We had a great week of fun and sun, oh yeah, and we learned quite a bit from each other.  

Volunteer fire departments by nature have good times and bad. We have times when we pack the truck like a clown car, and times when we respond with just a driver. Often, our lean times are during daylight hours, which also tend to be our busiest times.  

With all the dangers we face daily as volunteers, it really saddens me to see line of duty deaths responding to, or from an incident. We always believe that it may be the fire that is going to get us, when to often motor vehicle incidents claim the lives of our brethren.  

Today’s vehicles pose many new dangers for First Responders.