Congratulations to Nick Volz-Medway's newest full-time firefighter!

nick volz - Medway's newest firefighter

Best job in the world.' Medway man, 20, takes youth football coach's advice

Picture and article credits to:

Norman Miller

The Milford Daily News

 

MEDWAY — Who knew that playing youth football would lead to a career as a firefighter?

But that's what happened to Nick Volz. His seventh- and eighth-grade football coach was Medway Fire Chief Jeffrey Lynch. And Volz, 20, just became a full-time firefighter with the Medway Fire Department after about two years as a volunteer.

"He would always preach to the kids, 'Join the fire services, it's the best job in the world,'" said Volz, who graduated in 2020 from Medway High School. "I didn't think much about it then, but when I was in high school, I realized college wasn't for me. I started thinking about the Fire Department, so what he said really stuck with me. I was never really good at school, but I was really good at things I liked."

Volz said he began to hang out at the Fire Department at 16, getting to know the firefighters and accompanying them on ride-alongs to get an overview of the job. At 18, he joined the department as a call firefighter.

"I was still in high school," said Volz. "You get exposed to a lot, but it really didn't bother me. I had a job to do and that's what you have to do."

After graduating from high school, Volz became certified as an EMT; he is now working toward earning certification to become a paramedic. He attended the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy and, at 20, was among its youngest graduates.

"I loved every single second of the academy," he said. "To me that's the fun stuff, the chain saws, the house ventilation, things like that. It's the hands-on stuff. It was good because it was different from all of the book and class things you had to do to become an EMT. It was a really good experience for me."

While many of his classmates are in college or still determining what to do for a career — and in some cases, are looking at years of student loan debt — Volz said he's set in his career and could not be happier.

"The way I look at it, I'm at an advantage," he said. "I know what I want to do. I love what I do and I don't have all of that debt. I took a different route, but it's more enjoyable, personally. All of the hard work is finally paying itself off."

Volz said having Lynch as a youth football coach was a great influence on his life.

"Looking back, it really had a big impact on me," he said. "I call him 'Chief' now. I don't know if he would want to be called 'Coach.'"

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.