What is FOCUS?
FOCUS Members are an extension of our department that work in a non-emergent role. These members may never set foot on an emergency scene but they make it possible for our firefighters, EMRs, and Support members to make it there. Our focus members may stop by the fire department once a week, once a month, or only a couple times a year but they make a difference for our emergency personnel. Our FOCUS members help our department by supporting us in several ways and no one FOCUS member does it all. Maybe only one of the tasks is in your wheelhouse. FOCUS members help us with fundraising activities, public education, cleaning at the fire hall, providing insight into community needs, cooking for our crews before trainings and on long emergency scenes, and by helping unite our community and rally support. Being a part of FOCUS can even be a family activity and help you teach your children about the importance of giving back.
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Anyone can be a FOCUS Member! FOCUS members can be as young as 6 years old or all the way up to 106! Our FOCUS members have a desire to serve their community and work as part of a team. A FOCUS member must be willing to help in at least one the areas listed below. Read the "What does a FOCUS Member Do?" for more information.
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There are so many different ways that a FOCUS member can serve at Claylick Fire Department. Our FOCUS members help take care of the day to day tasks at the fire hall and help us expand our non-emergent services. Here's a list of some of the ways that our FOCUS members get involved:
-Providing resources to individuals who lose their homes
-Coordinating with other services to enhance the services provided in our area
-Supporting the Fire Department by filling various needs
-Cleaning at the fire hall (Sweeping, mopping, washing windows, washing trucks, etc)
-Cooking or preparing a snack for training events, debriefs, and/or extended emergency operations
-Teaching fire safety and other valuable community courses
-Assisting at public outreach events
-Assisting with fundraising campaigns
-Providing insight and feedback, creating new programs, and supporting/implenting those actions
-Mowing at the fire hall
-Preparing for events and training activities
-Organize and provide good will actions for our members and community
-Create educational and/or recruitment material
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As a FOCUS member, you can decide how involved you would like to be! Some members may choose to volunteer every week, others only once a month. The minimum amount of involvement is volunteering once every 3 months and that's an easy goal to reach! This could be a great way for you to get out of the house and give back or you may choose to come closer as a family by serving together. The choice is yours!
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Be In The Know
Our FOCUS members will be among the first to know about what’s happening at our fire department and in our community. You will also have first access to campaigns such as a free smoke alarm installation.
Free Education
Active FOCUS members will have access to free CPR, First Aid, Stop the Bleed, and other certification and non-certification courses.
Meet Your Neighbors
One of the best parts of living in a small town or rural community is everybody knows everyone. Today our community continues to grow and may seem a little less connected. This is a great way to reconnect and meet new people with a common interest of bettering their community. Great things start here.
Earn Volunteer Hours
Many scholarships such as the TN Promise require volunteer hours for students to be eligible for them. Some companies and clubs set goals for their members to earn volunteer hours. This would be a great way to earn volunteer hours for these reasons. One of the benefits of being a FOCUS member is you can decide how involved you want to be. We set a minimum requirement of activity but you can choose to push yourself to be more active!