• Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Volunteer firefighters are unpaid. That is what volunteer means in this context. They make $0.

    There are some places where they get tossed a few bucks per call, but most of them don’t make a cent.

      • Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Then they’re not volunteers. They’re PRN employees. What you have in your town is a paid, professional fire department.

        Volunteers on the other hand not paid. They don’t make a dime at any fire call. The law generally allows small, nominal cash rewards as incentives while still being considered volunteer, like awarding a couple hundred bucks at the end of the year for top responders, or a small dispensation of cash per call, but that’s it.

        More than 80% of the fire departments in the United States operate this way, with over 65% of firefighters in the country being unpaid volunteers. The firefighters in your town are not included in these numbers.