Hey everyone my name is April-Lynn and I am Loki13's daughter. I have a question for everyone and hopefully I can get some insight. Ok I am a VOLUNTEER firefighter and I love what i do. What i do not understand is how can PAID firefighters have more than we do. They do this for a living and get paid well. What about the ones who go to their daily jobs everyday to come home from work and then put their lives on the line to save someone's house or life. Recently a member of a firehouse in my town got suspeneded from his job because he was late to his Daily job. At one time NJ had a law that protected us from this type of punnishment. It was taken because the everyday tax payers thought it was riduclous. Tell me this how is it ridicolous that we put our lived on the line for someone that we dont know but everyday people want us pentalized because were not a paid.I feel as though me being a volunteer is the same as the career people. Am i wrong for thinking this

I don't think you're wrong for thinking this, I'm surprised they don't have more laws to protect volunteer firefighters and to encourage more people to volunteer, I assume you guys have to go through the same training program that the full-timers have to take right?  ???

Yes we do have to go through the same intense training and have to keep going to classes to keep our skills up in every other aspect were the same. The sad thing is many are afraid to volunteer in fear of loosing their full time jobs.

I was speaking to another volunteer fireman in work about the subject. He said that NJ never really had any laws on
the books protecting the jobs of volunteers but it was always an unwritten rule that volunteers regular jobs were
protected. He also stated that a few politicians heard of this case and now are pushing for legislation for job protection.

New Jersey has always sucked when it came to volunteers, quite a few military reservist have been fired or disciplined for
missing time due to the volunteer obligation. There has since been a law passed to protect the reservist but it really shouldn't
have had to come to that. That should have always been a standard practice.

Well im glad to hear that politicians are pushing for legislation for this. We put our lives on the line the same as paid firefighters do. I wonder if it would have been different if we were saving the lives of the big heads in jobs that punish the volunteers. I can almost guarentee that if that was the case before we go running into their burning buliding or saving their life in some way they will not stop to ask if im a volunteer or if it is my job

New Jersey has always sucked when it came to volunteers, quite a few military reservist have been fired or disciplined for missing time due to the volunteer obligation. There has since been a law passed to protect the reservist but it really shouldn't have had to come to that. That should have always been a standard practice.


There are already laws on the books to protect servicemembers from loosing their jobs.  This is a Federal law, The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (an update of older laws dating back to the 1950's).

http://www.braunconsulting.com/bcg/newsletters/summer2002/summer20023.html

And in the last 8 years there have been multiple lawsuits against employers that have not stood up to it.  In fact, just this week an employee of the University of Washington had to file a lawsuit because he was terminated during his deployment.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008982055_webuwsuit03m.html