Volunteer fire department

A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.

The first large organized force of firefighters was the Corps of Vigiles, established in ancient Rome in 6 AD.

The term "volunteer" contrasts with career firefighters who are fully compensated for their services. Some volunteer firefighters may be part of a combination fire department that utilizes both full-time and volunteer firefighters. In this way, a station can be regularly staffed for rapid response with apparatus, and the volunteers provide supplementary staffing and staffed apparatus before, during, and after an incident, or while the full-time career staff are out of service doing training.

The term "volunteer" may also be used in reference to a group of part-time or on-call firefighters who may have other occupations when not engaged in occasional firefighting. Although they may have "volunteered" to become members, and to respond to the call for help, they are compensated as employees during the time they are responding to or attending an emergency scene, and possibly for training. An on-call firefighter may also volunteer time for other non-emergency duties as well (training, fundraising, equipment maintenance, etc.).

Fire department

A fire department (United States and Canada) or fire brigade (United Kingdom and Commonwealth) (also known as a fire and rescue service or simply fire service) is a public or private organization that provides predominantly emergency firefighting and rescue services for a certain jurisdiction, which is typically a municipality, county, or fire protection district. A fire department usually contains one or more fire stations within its boundaries, and may be staffed by career firefighters, volunteer firefighters, or a combination thereof (referred to as a combination department).

A fire department may also provide "fire protection" or fire prevention services, whereby firefighters visit homes and give fire safety advice and fit smoke alarms for members of the public. In many countries fire protection or prevention is seen as an important role for the fire service, as preventing a fire from occurring in the first place can save lives and property.

Organization

Fire departments are organized in a system of administration, services, training, and operations; for example:

Fire Brigade (song)

"Fire Brigade" is a song written by Roy Wood and performed by The Move, with Wood on lead vocal. The song contains a guitar figure straight out of Duane Eddy. Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols admitted some years later that this guitar had strongly influenced him when they were writing their single, "God Save the Queen".

"Fire Brigade" influenced "Firehouse" from the self-titled debut album by Kiss.

Released as the group's fourth single in Britain in February 1968, it reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart. A cover version was recorded by The Fortunes and released as a single in the US, but did not chart.

The book included with the 4-CD boxed set Anthology 1966–1972, released in October 2008, noted that sessions for the song began on 16 November 1967 at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London. Anthology includes both the finished version which was released as a single, as well as an early, previously unreleased version with Matthew Fisher of Procol Harum on piano. An earlier retrospective release, the 3-CD Movements: 30th Anniversary Anthology, from 1997, also has two slightly different recordings - the final version, and an undubbed one, before backing vocals, tambourine and opening 'fire engine' sound effects were added.