According to the American Red Cross , 77% of high school students spend time outside of school volunteering to explore future career paths. Volunteering plays an important role in both personal growth and community support. To better understand why people choose to volunteer and what they gain from it, two members from the Clinton Fire Department were interviewed about their experiences, motivation, and lessons learned.
Landon Johnson has been a volunteer for the Clinton Fire Department for two and a half years, and was influenced by his family to join the fire department. He has grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles who are in the fire department, and they played a huge role in his introduction to the fire service. Johnson believes that many people, especially the adults in the Clinton Fire Department, volunteer for the cause and to better the community. “You see, the majority of the firefighters come from career fire departments around the state and help out with our community by volunteering. So I think awareness and training make it safer for all of us, especially the people in town,” Johnson said.
A typical day at the firehouse for student volunteers doesn’t look the same as a typical student’s life. Most days, volunteers get out of school and go straight to the firehouse, where they spend most of their day either waiting for calls, doing schoolwork for their classes, or getting some extra training. Members utilize the equipment at the firehouse to help with training and practice for real-life situations, wether its going over class topics, reviewing procedures, or working alongside more experienced firefighters.
Johnson believes that the hours spent at the firehouse come with real-world experiences that you might not get anywhere else. “I know I joined for the experience, and it was the best decision I made,” said Johnson. The experience will help guide him to his future career path in public safety, and he’s making the necessary connections to get him closer to the field. People definitely use volunteering to help with resumes and college applications, but at the end of the day, getting the experience is better than using that to get ahead in a resume or application.”
Liam Lamoureux, who has been volunteering since March of 2025, explained how his friends brought him to one training session where he realized that volunteering could guide him to a future career path. “Some of my friends are in the fire department; they influenced me to join, and I needed something to do in my free time, so I joined.”
Lamoureux believes that many people primarily volunteer for the experience and to explore possible career paths. While some may use volunteering to strengthen college or job applications, he sees this more as a positive outcome rather than something that takes away from the purpose. Volunteering has changed his life completely; he has developed great connections within the realm and is leaning toward going into a future in public safety as well, and finds himself eager to learn more. The relationships he has built are very important to him; he has learned to trust in his training and believe in himself.
To build on their experience, both Johnson and Lamoureux have learned some very important lessons throughout their short time volunteering. “Volunteering taught me that no matter how bad your day is, someone’s going to have it worse, so we do what we signed up for and go out there. If we can make their day just a little bit better, that’s what matters.”
Johnson said, emphasizing the importance of empathy and commitment. Lamoureux shared a similar perspective, saying, “I feel like volunteering has been an eye-opener for me for sure. Every time we train, we all come together from different towns and work as a team, communicating and making new friends. These guys feel like another family, the way we all bond together.”