Membership Information

The BVFD is comprised of men and women who provide fire protection and emergency medical service to the town of Bristol on an all-volunteer basis.

We are always looking for additional members to serve as firefighters, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), ambulance drivers, and other help, particularly during the day. If fire fighting or emergency medical activities do not interest you, perhaps you can provide child care while our members are on a call; or perhaps you can give a hand at some of our fund raising activities. There are many tasks that need to be done besides fighting fires or bandaging wounds.

If you have ever thought about joining the fire department, or becoming an EMT, read on - you’ve come to the right place.

Types of Membership

Membership in the Bristol Volunteer Fire Department is open to residents in and around the Town of Bristol. We have several classes of membership, including:

  1. Active Members.  Active Members are those persons who meet the qualifications for such status as provided for in these bylaws and the policies of the Department.  Active Members must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.  They may attend emergencies, drills, parades, funerals, trainings and also all events sponsored by or attended by the Department.  Such members shall have the authority to vote on all matters brought to the members for a vote by the Directors, Members or committees.  They shall be eligible for election as a Director, Executive or Line Officer and shall be permitted to participate in committees and vote in committee proceedings.  They may attend all social functions of the Department without invitation.  An active member shall serve at the discretion of the Chief or his/her designee while emergency services are being performed.

  2. Probationary Members.  Probationary Members are those persons who meet the qualifications for such membership as further defined in these by-laws and in the policies of the Department.  They shall have those rights and/or restrictions as set forth in the policies, however they shall not be permitted to vote at any Department meeting or committee meeting.  They may have a voice at meetings, and may serve on a committee with a voice only.  They may not hold Executive or Line offices or serve as a Director.  They may attend social events without invitation.

  3. Junior Restricted Members.  Junior Restricted Members shall be those members who are fourteen to seventeen years of age.  They shall be permitted to participate in drills, trainings, parades, and educational programs but such participation may be limited by the policies of the Department.  They shall not be permitted to use  power tools, cutting tools or work on ladders. They shall be permitted to attend meetings and participate in committees, but may be asked to remove themselves by the Board or an executive officer.  They shall be permitted to have a voice but no vote in meetings and committees.  They may not operate emergency vehicles.  They shall not be permitted to serve as Line Officers, Directors, Executive Officers, or committee chairpersons.  The policies shall be permitted to dictate additional duties, prohibitions, obligations and privileges of Junior Restricted Members.  Junior Restriced Member applicants must have the signature of at least one parent or guardian on the application to join.  Junior Restricted Members shall be admitted upon sole vote of the Membership Committee and may be removed by the Chief, by vote of the Board of Directors or by vote of the Membership Committee, with no rights to appeal.  The Chief may restrict the activities of any Junior Restricted Member for whatever reason deemed necessary. Every Junior Restricted Member shall begin the Probationary Period upon becoming an Active Member at age eighteen.  The Membership Committee may waive or shorten the Probationary period for any Junior Member becoming an Active Member.

  4. Active Restricted Members.  A Junior Restricted Firefighter 16 or 17 years of age, that has been a member for at least two years, may serve the Department as an Active Restricted Firefighter at the discretion of the Fire Chief and with parental permission. Active Restricted Firefighters can perform all active duties of a full member of this department except as specified in the bylaws and additional rules outlined in the policies of the department. They shall be permitted to participate in drills, trainings, parades, and educational programs but such participation may be limited by the policies of the Department.  They shall be permitted to attend meetings and participate in committees, but may be asked to remove themselves by the Board or an executive officer.  They shall be permitted to have a voice but no vote in meetings and committees.  They may not operate emergency vehicles.  They shall not be permitted to serve as Line Officers, Directors, Executive Officers, or committee chairpersons.  The policies shall be permitted to dictate additional duties, prohibitions, obligations and privileges of Active Restricted Members.  Active Restricted Member may be removed by the Chief, by vote of the Board of Directors or by vote of the Membership Committee, with no rights to appeal.  The Chief may restrict the activities of any Active Restricted Member for whatever reason deemed necessary. Every Active Restricted Member shall begin the Probationary Period upon becoming an Active Member at age eighteen.  The Membership Committee may waive or shorten the Probationary period for any Active Retricted Member becoming an Active Member.

  5. Service Members.  Service Members may attend but may not vote at a Department meeting, but may have a voice at a meeting.  A Service member may vote at the annual elections for Corporate Officers providing that he meets the requirements of Section 14 Paragraph 3 of this article.  A Service Member may not serve as a Line Officer, on the Board of Directors or as a Corporate Officer, except in the position of Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary or Recording Secretary.  Any person in those positions may vote at any board, member or committee meeting so long as they meet other voting requirements as any other member.  Such members may attend emergencies as permitted and limited by the policies of the Department.  All applicants for Service Membership must complete all background checks and other application requirements as any other Active Member, as well as being approved by the Town and completing a probationary period.

  6. Life Members.  Those persons who have served at least twenty (20) active years in this Department may become Life Members.  The Board of Directors must first determine if they meet the qualifications, and then the Board makes a recommendation to the membership, which is then voted upon by the membership and granted if a majority of the active membership in attendance approves.  Alternatively, an Active Member with fewer than twenty (20) years upon suffering a firefighter service-ending disability in the line of duty may request and be awarded Life Membership Status, subject to the approval of a majority of the vote of the Active Members present at a regular or special meeting.  A person who has served as an Active Member of this Department for at least ten (10) years upon suffering a firefighter service-ending disability outside of the line of duty may be granted Life Membership upon majority vote of the Active Members.  For purposes of attaining Life Membership, a member shall be credited one year for every two years of service as an Active Member of another department up to a maximum of five (5) years, but such member must have at least fifteen (15) years in this Department.

    There shall be two sub-classes of Life Members: Active Life and Retired Life.  Active Life Members shall have the same privileges any other Active Member.  Retired Life Members may attend meetings but not vote and may attend social events without invitation.  They may hold Corporate Office and, in that capacity, vote at meetings.  Retired Life Members may request reinstatement from the Membership Committee by submitting a written request and may be granted reinstatement to Active Life Member status by the Committee without completion of a Probationary Period.

  7. Inactive Members.   Inactive Members are those persons who have failed to meet the membership requirements as stated in these By-Laws or in the policies of the Department.  No person shall remain an Inactive Member for more than six months.  When a member fails to meet the membership requirements of the Department, the Department shall send the member a letter notifying him that he is now Inactive and must meet with the Chief.  The Chief may impose requirements to obtain Active Member Status again.  A person receiving such letter must report to the Chief within 30 days of mailing the letter or his membership may be terminated.  A person failing to complete the requirements imposed by the Chief may be terminated under the provisions of Section 23.  The failure to report to the Chief in a timely manner shall require the member to return all Department issued equipment and such person shall not be entitled to any privilege of membership.  Inactive Members who fail to return their assigned gear, or turn in damaged gear, will be held financially responsible for the repair or replacement of such gear.  Inactive members may not respond to emergency calls as representatives of the Bristol Volunteer Fire Department

Application Process

You can become a member of the BVFD by following these steps:

  1. Obtain an application by stopping at Station 1 on Route 64 any Monday night. You must provide all information requested on the application in order for us to consider you for membership.

  2. Once your application is received, you will be called to meet with the Membership Committee on a Monday night. At this meeting you will be asked to complete a Criminal/Arson Background check form, which is required by New York State law for all applicants.

  3. After meeting with the Membership Committee, and favorable reference and arson background check results are received, your application will be brought up before the general membership at the next monthly meeting. New members are accepted by a majority vote of the members at the meeting.

  4. You will be notified after the meeting of your acceptance as a member. Membership is effective upon the payment of dues, which are $5.00 per year.

You will then be issued personal protective equipment and radio. Your equipment must be kept at the firehouse until you are cleared for active duty.

We provide all of the necessary training! All new active members must complete a total of 15 hours of initial training as specified by the Fire Chief before being cleared for active fire and EMS duty. Subsequently, all active members must complete a minimum of 8 hours of OSHA training annually in order to remain active.

If you have further questions, please stop by our Station 1 on Route 64 or call 229-5505 any Monday night. We’ll be happy to give you a tour of the fire house and apparatus, and answer any questions you may have.