When you ask the question "Who is more passionate: Vollies or Paid?" It just doesn't seem like a clear enough question. Passionate about what? What kind of work they do or why they do the work? I am a volunteer at a company that runs about 10,000 calls a year. I spend almost all of my free time there. I do a lot of work there. Most of the full-timers there will even say that I do more work than some of the paid employees. Many of them look at me and say, "Why are you helping, this isn't your job?" The answer is simple really, I am in the station and on the truck, I should help. I feel its my responsibility too. I don't expect the paid employees to act like my mother and clean up after me just because I'm not paid. I'm not saying that I shouldn't clean up after myself but I feel everyone should chip in and help.
The picking and choosing of calls....I am guilty of this one. But not to the point where I say that call is BS I'm not going on it, I'll wait here for you to clear up. I am the third person on the truck so in reality I could do that but never have. On the other hand, if there is 2 calls going out at once i may pick one over the other but I have never said, "I just don't feel like going so I'm not." I go on the calls because I want the experience.
I love the kind of work I do because it is so important to me. If you ask my family, I am obsessed with going to my station. I came home early from my vacation last month just to go there. I geuss at some point I would say that I was obsessed, but I think I am one step short of obsessed, which in turn is passionate. After, a call I react the same way as our paid employees, and help clean up after any and all calls just like them.
I'm not saying volly's are more passionate than paid, but I am saying it depends on where you go. I think that as time progresses you lose the passion and it just becomes a job, more than a passion.
I am a volunteer because I am only 18 and cant get a job without being 21 because of insurance reasons. i do wish, however that i do turn this into my career. But even being paid I hope to still be as passionate about it as I am now.