This qualitative exploratory study of volunteer firefighting was conducted in the grounded theory tradition. It is intended as a contribution to the sociological study of high risk volunteering, a form of serious leisure which has largely been overlooked by scholars. Over a period of three years, data were collected by participant observation, interviews and reviews of archival material. The routines of six Southern Alberta rural volunteer fire departments and the activities of their volunteers

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... were studied and analyzed to identify dominant themes at the organizational and individuals levels of analysis. One of the aspects of volunteering that sets it apart from employment is structural uncertainty and ambiguity, which becomes evident in the examination of interorganizational relationships that variously constrain organizational effectiveness; the unusual legal relationship between these fire departments and their local governments, and the uneasy state of affairs that results; aspects of organizational culture including commitments to selfsufficiency, philanthropy and competition, and finally in the presentation of self and construction of social identities. At the individual level of analysis, official records reveal the amount of time volunteers contribute to principal operational activities, but render invisible the hundreds of additional hours they may contribute to core support activities, philanthropic activities and volunteering for related organizations. Although society in general tends to cast firefighters in the role of "hero", the volunteers themselves are uncomfortable with this label and prefer to characterize themselves as helpers. Because of their specialized training, knowledge and trusted co-volunteers, volunteer firefighters do not view the risky part of their work in the same way non-firefighter do. The popular practice of reserving the term "career" or "professional" firefighter to describe people for whom firefighting is a full-time occupation is challenged and a sociological definition offered. iii The minimal inquiry into this form of volunteering is ironic because over ninety percent of all fire protection in North America is provided by volunteers and volunteer fire departments are central features community life in the towns and villages of the countryside. This circumstance encourages the pursuit of further inquiry to elaborate the themes revealed by this study with the objective of cumulating them into an increasingly cohesive and comprehensive body of knowledge. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The most important people whom I must thank for their encouragement, interest and willingness to be part of this project are the men and women in the volunteer fire service who were my informants. The co-operation of these volunteers permitted me to discover an absorbing research topic that will keep me challenged and interested for the rest of my academic career. They were always willing to take the extra minutes, and sometimes hours, to answer my questions, let me tag along to observe their activities, permit me to take photographs and allow me occasionally to take a role in non-risky ventures. Some of the best moments of this entire project were spent helping out at some small task or other. I applaud their skills, knowledge and dedication.