This article has been corrected from its original version, which incorrectly stated Jen Chafin’s rank in Anne Arundel County.

For Jen Chafin, an alumna and graduate student, the most defining moment of her undergraduate years wasn’t a party or an epic sports victory — it was the time she helped deliver a healthy 8.5-pound baby girl on the side of the Capital Beltway.

Chafin was one of dozens of university students who began their firefighting careers at the Branchville Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Squad in College Park. As an undergraduate, Chafin worked as an emergency medical technician and is now a second lieutenant at Branchville and a career firefighter in Anne Arundel County, although she continues to volunteer at the Branchville station.

Every day — including weeknights, weekends and holidays — the Branchville Fire Department relies completely on its estimated 100 volunteers, as it has a very limited number of paid firefighters and EMTs. About one-third of these volunteers are students, Fire Chief Michael Burrier said.

Located directly off of Route 1, the house has long been a popular training ground for students looking to gain experience and camaraderie.

“This is the place I fell in love with firefighting,” said Chafin, who had plans to go to law school and even took the LSAT before committing to firefighting full-time.

Although volunteers can choose to become an EMT or a firefighter, they must complete 18 months of rigorous training in both areas.

Along with the obvious medical, fire hose and ladder training, volunteers also need to learn how to drive an a fire engine and an ambulance. Overall, it requires a commitment of about 270 hours.

Sophomore economics major Mike Copeland lives at the station dormitory and is on duty from the afternoon until 5 a.m. three nights a week. Often times, the schedule can mean forgoing studying for an exam or leaving mid-sentence while writing a paper to answer a call.

“We’re a busy house, so you have to be really disciplined,” said Copeland, who expects to complete his training in May. “College is college no matter what, so you have to be disciplined and study.”

Yue-Shan Wang, a junior biology major, and Andrew Demaio, a senior bioengineering major, both joined the firehouse as EMTs to gain experience before applying to medical schools. But like Chafin, they were both intrigued by the emergency-response work and began training to be firefighters. Though they don’t expect to change their ultimate career goals, both agreed that firefighting is tough but well worth the challenge.

“It’s pretty exciting, you never know what to expect,” Wang said. “It’s exhilarating, but you get scared at the same time.”

Due to the hefty time commitment, Demaio said there are moments when he feels as though he misses out on parties or events with his friends.

Overall, he said most of the time he finds a nice balance between volunteering and his social life.

“You definitely have to make sacrifices,” he said. “But in the end, I definitely think it’s worth it.”

While on the job, Copeland recently received a second-degree burn at a three-alarm fire in Greenbelt, but that has done little to singe his spirit.

He said it has been a dream of his to become a firefighter since he was about 2 years old and expects to pursue it as a career after he graduates from the university.

“You can’t beat it,” he said. “The camaraderie with everybody, you really can’t.”

Burrier, a fifth-generation firefighter who has been with the company for 22 years, agreed. He said its the firehouse’s familial atmosphere that draws in so many students despite the seemingly overwhelming time commitment.

“It’s tough at first, but we’re a family,” Burrier said.

rhodes@umdbk.com