A hustle worth having.
Side hustles usually mean an app, a car that smells like fries, and a couple of bucks. This one pays out differently: free training, real calls, a real crew, and neighbors who are safer because you showed up.
Why ride with us
No pay. Real payoff.
We'll be straight with you: volunteer means no paycheck. It also means free firefighter and EMT certifications, scholarship and tuition help, and skills that ride on every resume you'll ever send.
Adrenaline with a purpose
5,000+ calls a year across two stations — fires, crashes, medical emergencies. This hustle has stakes no app can match.
A crew, not a gig
No ratings, no algorithm. You train, ride, and eat with the same people, and they count on you to show up. Being needed is the point.
Runs on your schedule
Duty shifts are sign-up based and training runs evenings and weekends — hustle around class, work, and everything else.
You’ve seen the ads.
“Not all hustles are equal. This one saves lives.”
“A Hustle Worth Having” is the IAFC’s national campaign to get a new generation riding with their local volunteer fire department. We’re that department for Gambrills, Riva, and the surrounding area — the same campaign you’ve seen online, with a real seat on a real crew at the end of it.
HustleWorthHaving.org · Campaign creative courtesy of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, funded by a FEMA SAFER grant.
See yourself here
Common questions
Is this that “A Hustle Worth Having” campaign?
Yes — this page is our local answer to the IAFC's national volunteer firefighter recruitment campaign. The national ads make the case; we're the department that actually rides for Gambrills, Riva, and the surrounding area. This is where you sign up.
Do I need any experience?
No. Most of our members started with zero. All firefighter and EMT training is provided free through MFRI and the county, and you can apply at 16.
How much time does this actually take?
Riding members aim for about 48 hours a quarter — duty shifts you pick, nights or weekends, scaled around your life.
If there's no paycheck, what do I get?
Certifications you keep for life, county and state scholarship and tuition-reimbursement programs, leadership reps most people wait decades for, and stories no other side hustle will ever give you.