It’s well known that volunteer fire departments have been dwindling for years due to a dramatic drop in people willing to volunteer their time.
This article lays out the 90 percent drop in volunteers in Pennsylvania since the 1970s. People just don’t have the sense of community that they once had.
18 Comments
Tom235 · November 19, 2024 at 8:25 am
Having been there, done that, got the T-shirt – volunteering for a FD or EMS is a tremendous drain on time in order to do it properly. Add to that the ever-reaching fingers of govt bureaucracy even into volunteers, it gets to the point of Why bother? Not that I’m dissing those that do volunteer or even those that don’t. But come the time “the public” needs those services, the bitching and moaning about the lack is almost as loud as the bitching and moaning about raising taxes to provide those as “professional” services.
TRX · November 19, 2024 at 9:23 am
I knew a guy who had been with a local VFD for thirty years. The was sad and angry because they were shutting down.
He said “organizers” came in, mostly from out-of-state, and gave presentations to legislators as to how the VFDs were poorly regulated, and their equipment and training was substandard by comparison to big-city departments. In due course, the legislature addressed this by establishing minimum training and equipment requirements for VFDs.
The VFDs operated by public subscription. The extra training and equipment were expensive. Past some point, homeowners were unwilling to cough up the money out of their own pockets. So, without enough money to meet the requirements the VFDs began shutting down. Their role was taken over by city departments, who got contracts to serve surrounding areas, and new county FDs.
Aesop · November 19, 2024 at 10:42 am
Who are loyal, unionized, Leftist voting blocs, with union funds to raid for political campaigns.
I hope no one thinks this is mere happenstance, rather than considered design.
old coyote · November 19, 2024 at 11:10 am
This is a spot on response: dot gov interference is also driven with the insurance industry as well; refusal to insure if “standards” are not met, etc. Just an additional thought- the generation of fit young men able to perform these high demand physical tasks is small in comparison to years past; the demands on their lives to support a family, perhaps with two job families as well… there is no time for volunteerism. This is hitting ALL volunteer organizations these days.
Nolan Parker · November 19, 2024 at 12:38 pm
Hmm,,Howboutthatschitt!? People traveling around Tellin people Why FIRE, unopposed, is Somehow Better than fire being Fought by men who Want to Fight it. Since the men are untrained and using substandard equipment, it’s probably best to just Stop trying.
Couple ridiculousness with the reality that finding time to Give has become more difficult as the ability to Prosper has been diminished by the ruinous government since the sixties..
Watching the downhill spiral of our country has been tough.
Out West · November 20, 2024 at 6:40 am
Spot on. The training, certifications and the time commitment, it’s insane. My neighbor, who’s been in it for a decade said it’s like having a second and a third job.
It's just Boris · November 19, 2024 at 9:57 am
Moden life seems a lot more “full” in recent decades, and the days more stressful. I have to wonder how much of it is people simply not feeling they have the time or energy anymore … especially with burdensome requirements as described above sucking much of the joy and feeling of doing good out of things.
Henry · November 19, 2024 at 11:50 am
I have friends who were volunteer firemen and they pointed out some reasons for the decline. First, there are increasing requirements for additional training, and at some point the training requirement placed time demands they couldn’t meet. That’s not to disparage keeping current, but it’s simply a fact that there are more and more time demands to continue as a volunteer. The second is more of a societal change. The heyday of volunteer FDs occurred when there were large, somewhat paternalistic corporations that willingly supported employees who were volunteer firemen. Typically in rural or suburban towns, these guys were afforded some flexibility in responding to emergencies. But with the demise of these big employers, the demise of the paternalism, and the shift to employment in more built-up areas with professional FDs the volunteer cadre has either aged out or dwindled to just the occasional guy here or there.
McChuck · November 19, 2024 at 12:00 pm
It’s almost like the Left has been working at destroying communities, the high-trust culture, and do-it-yourself attitudes for generations now.
Bad Dancer · November 19, 2024 at 12:09 pm
It’s also a matter of time. Hard for a person working two jobs to survive to be able to dedicate time to be on call and availble to respond.
DrBob · November 19, 2024 at 1:45 pm
I have been a volunteer emt since 2015. Last year I was side-lined (you can’t run calls with us anymore) by a full-time fire and ems company because “you’re only an emt”. In my part of the country, the captains on the full-time departments are empire builders. They aren’t interested in running efficiently, rather they gobble up smaller departments and then turn to the local municipalities and cry poor. The principle reason is to hire more full-time paramedic firefighters.
I also serve on a volunteer department up north. That is far more satisfying because we are the ones coming to your rescue. Sadly, that is ending too because four municipalities are combining their ems departments and hiring only paramedics. Empire building from scratch.
Sadly, fire and ems has become too much about building big organizations, whether warranted or not. And unlike the private sector, there is no competitor to come in and demolish these self-serving empires.
Beans · November 19, 2024 at 2:11 pm
There is all of that, and the issue of an overly litigious society. When, as an unpaid volunteer, you can be sued and lose your life due to some jackwagon finding a really great a-hole of an attorney and you weren’t able to save their house/car/barn/precious dog/your great aunt who’s been dead so long her skin is slipping, well, that’s a big incentive to not volunteer.
That, and everyone has to basically have an 80 hour a week job or at least one side gig.
Top that with spending more time training over diversity and such crap than actual real trainin.
oldvet50 · November 19, 2024 at 2:41 pm
You are spot on with the remark about the loss of a sense of community. You would be hard pressed to find a group of like minded people in any sub-division of real estate. The differences are so stark, it borders on contempt for one another – just look at the recent elections. Half of us want to save our country, the other half wants it destroyed.
Papa · November 20, 2024 at 6:37 pm
I might sound like a conflicting message..
I was on a VFD for about 12 years.
Loved it.
Then in the last year, divorce struck and job layoff.
Resigned FD.
6 months after, cancer paid me a visit.
Was not able to get any assistance or prove it was from VFD duties. Full-time department members seem to get help with cancer.
Where I live now, the volunteer department transitioned to approximately 4 paid FF’s/Medics per day. The township trustees were able to get a supplemental FD tax levy passed second time around.
I do not regret going to runs and training. Would do it again.
Regardlees of current training requirements, why don’t folk have the basic desire to serve like yesteryear?
chiefjaybob · November 19, 2024 at 4:35 pm
I fought this battle for 19 years. I took our paid on call department from BLS to ALS. At the beginning, it wasn’t too bad. Medic class was 2 semesters, 2 nights per week and cost $1,000 (after becoming an EMT. One semester x2 nights).
Then our EMS system decided to partner with the local community college. I knew that was the end. Tuition went to $2,500, then $5,000 then $7,500. It was over $10,000 when I quit 3 years ago, and the class is now 3 nights per week. And the curriculum is jammed with shit the street medic does not need to know. But they can get a degree now!
How do you even dream of asking someone for that commitment of time for a paid on call gig? It’s not possible.
Our fire certification is just as bad. Basic state certification was two semesters, 2 nights a week. I taught in house, a class every 2 years. Your basic cert was good for life. Then the geniuses in Springfield decided that this needs continuing education, 25 hours per year. But, oh yeah, you’ll need con ed for all the other certs you might carry: high angle, trench, HazMat, auto extrication, etc. I asked, How are my volunteers supposed to get that? Their answer: just pencil whip the training logs. If you do 2 hours of rope assisted search, that’s 2 hours of rope, 2 hours of SCBA, 2 hours of interior firefighting. And no more in house classes. You must be certified, and the new certification can only be met by big departments and…… your local community college.
My old department can’t staff an engine most days. At least 3 days a month, they are down-grading the ambulance service to BLS. It’s heartbreaking.
WTF is the point if requiring these hours, if we’re not doing the hours?
EN2 SS · November 19, 2024 at 4:52 pm
I once worked with several VFD guys. One day one asked my opinion on buying a new fire truck. They were deciding between a fully rigged out Freightliner based fire engine or a bare bones “professional” fire engine, that would require buying every piece of equipment that is on a fire engine. Same price for either engine. Guess which one the dept. bought, yep, the “professional” one.wound up costing almost twice as much as the Freightliner based one.
Bureaucracy at it’s finest.
chiefjaybob · November 19, 2024 at 6:55 pm
My only thought on that is, having been exposed to both, is that a custom chassis is both safer and more durable than a commercial chassis, and is worth the investment. YMMV
Clown School Valedictorian · November 22, 2024 at 11:46 pm
But who in their right mind would volunteer for anything with significant personal liability, nobody watching your back, and the random appearance of petty thugs and dramatists who are looking for new victims, where you might just fit that bill of goods?
Of course volunteer services are dying!
The people who would volunteer have been paying attention.