Many firefighters call the firehouse their second home. But three volunteers at Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Company 33 have gone a step further.

They've moved into the fire station on Woodlawn Drive. They eat, sleep and study there - that is, when they're not answering 911 calls.

"That's part of the deal," said Jim Pirtle, a 36-year-old paramedic who is taking nursing courses at the Community College of Baltimore County's Catonsville campus while he works at Johns Hopkins Hospital. "That's why the rent is free. When you get a call, you go."

The cinderblock bunk room adjacent to the firetruck bays doesn't make for the most luxurious accommodations. Pirtle has carved out a corner of the men's bunk room for his "apartment." Upstairs is a makeshift living and dining room, furnished with donated furniture.

Matching curtains and carpet aren't an issue.

Pirtle sleeps on the bottom of one of a half-dozen bunk beds and keeps his possessions in a wardrobe and boxes. He has hung a picture of cowboys on the bed frame - the most elaborate decoration in the room.

Pirtle's roommates sleep a few feet away. All say they love the living arrangements.

Many fire stations schedule shifts of volunteers to cover 24 hours. That's not necessary at Company 33, where the three live-ins give the station a round-the-clock presence that members say is invaluable.

"They're good for us," said Donna Kern, president of the volunteer company. "With the volume of calls coming in in Baltimore County and around the state, we don't always have enough volunteers, especially people available during the day. Since we have to be out within three minutes of receiving a call, having someone there all the time is very beneficial."

At times, the company has served as temporary housing for volunteers who have been laid off from full-time jobs, said Kern. "Sometimes we have students who use the station as a kind of dorm while they're in school," she said.

For Sean Fields, who has been a volunteer firefighter for 10 years in Woodlawn, it made sense to live at the station. "I love being here anyway," said Fields, a 34-year-old special police officer at Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital.

Since moving in five months ago, Fields has had a chance to save money before he gets married next month. He has also become the top responding firefighter at the station. He and Pirtle answered nearly half of the station's 243 calls for service last month.

They share the load with another live-in volunteer, a paid Baltimore City firefighter who doesn't like to talk about his living arrangements, in part, because he is teased about working and living amid fire equipment.

What the live-in volunteers lack in privacy is made up for in entertainment. Visitors are frequent, mostly other volunteers who stop by to help with calls and to chat. And the constant chatter on the communications radio serves to keep things lively.

"The buzzer goes off the most when you just got in after a 16-hour shift and finally think you'll get to sleep," said Fields, who hangs blankets around his bunk to keep out the light.

The trio also provides comic relief for one another. Fields sings gospel tunes while he does chores, and Pirtle searches the couch cushions for pocket change for his "Merry Maid fund," which he hopes one day will allow the company to hire a cleaning service.

Pirtle, the son of a cowboy and a nurse, frequently cooks dinner for the company Thursdays nights. He is known for his meatloaf and for baking cookies when he gets mad.

"It's great," said Fields. "I love it when he's angry. Some of our members come by just to see what kind of day he's had."