FTSFSR 04-04-2012 INFORMATION #3
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FIRECHIEF.COM
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MARCH 2012 53
COVER FEATURE » A DANGEROUS CROSSROAD
When the National Fire Protection
Association released its latest figures on
the number of firefighters in the United
States last October, an alarm went off in
the volunteer sector. That's because the
number of volunteer firefighters was at
its lowest since tggt.
This is cause for concern, but just
how much concern? National Volunteer
Fire Council Chairman Philip Stittle-
burg is quick to channel author Mark
Twain when he said [hat reports of the
volunteer fire service's death are greatly
exaggerated. Stittleburg, who also is
long-time chief of the LaFarge (Wis.)
Volunteer Fire Department, does how-
ever caution that if this trend contin-
ues, the volunteer service will reach a
crisis state.
The NFPA data covers t986 to zoro.
And while the zoro numbers are the
lowest in t9 years, the years 2989, tg9o
and 2992 all showed less volunteer fire-
fighters than did zoro. Tablet (right)
shows the number of career and volun-
teer firefighters for the last 20 years. (For
the full NFPA report, visit hap://tinyurl
.com/3fm98r)/~)
Another figure that jumps out of [he
report concerns the number of firefight-
ers per 2,00o residents they protect. For
both career and volunteer, zo2o marks
the lowest rate since NFPA began col-
lecting data in 2986.
To put these results in perspective,
it is important to understand how
NFPA gathers this data. For communi-
ties with populations less than 50,000,
the survey is sent to a sample that is
stratified by the size of the community;
projections are then based on weighted
samples. About one-third of the states
are surveyed each year on a three-year
rolling schedule. The association said
that about r9p/o of surveyed depart-
ments respond.
Although the NFPA study does not
breakdown its results by region, in some
areas, such as Texas, the number of vol-
unteers is steadily rising. This, said Chris
Barron, executive director of the Texas
State Fireman's and Fire Marshal's Asso-
ciation, is likely due in part to formal
recruiting efforts and the unprecedent-
ed wildland fire season that the state
experienced last year. His association
used federal grant money to kick off
a statewide recruitment and retention
program. Part of that program calls for
departments to submit exact member-
ship numbers every six months. Since
khe first grant in zoo8, Texas has seen a
steady increase in its volunteers.
Though Stittleburg admits that
the NFPA numbers may not have the
exactness of a full-blown census, he is
confident that they accurately reflect
Year Total Career Volunteer Departments
2000 1,064,150 286,800 777,350 30,339
2001 1,078,300 293,600 784,700 30,020
2002 1,108,250 291,650 816,600 30,310
2003 1,096,900 296,850 SOO,D50 30,542
2004 1,100,750 305,150 795,600 30,400
2005 1,136,650 313,300 823,350 30,300
2006 1,140,900 316,950 823,950 _
30,635
20D7 1,148,500 323,350 825,450 30,185
2008 1,148,850 321,700 827,150 30,170
2009 1,148,100 335,950 812,150 30,165
2010 1,103,300 335,150 768,150 30,125
Source: National Fire Protection Assoclatlon: U.S. Fire Department Prattle Through 2010. NFPA has kept career,
volunteer antl tlepartment statistics since 1983; 2010 is the most curcent Oata available.
trends in volunteer membership. And
for volunteer or cmnbination chiefs
who are seeing their numbers slip, it
doesn't matter much if the NFPA sur-
vey is on a three-year rolling cycle or
not. They need to know why those
numbers are dropping and what to do
to right the ship.
"This isn't demonstrable in any
statistical evidence, but 1 think we are
seeing the aging of the volunteer fire
service," Stittleburg said. "People are
retiring and we are failing to bring in
younger people to fill those spots. The
average age of volunteer firefighters is
increasing -that much we know."
Stittleburg believes that recruiting
efforts need to be aimed at those in their
teens and zos. "In the past we've recruit-
ed byword of mouth. That doesn't seem
to be getting it done anymore," he said.
"We've got to begetting into the schools
and saying this is something that you
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will really enjoy and it is a good thing
for your community."
In South Carolina, Shane Ray is
seeing a drop in volunteers. Ray is the
superintendent of the South Carolina
Fire Academy, where he is responsible
for all of the state's fire training. Ray also
is the international representative on the
International Association of Fire Chief's
Volunteer & Combination Officers Sec-
tion; is the former chief of the Pleasant
View (Tenn.) Volunteer Fire Depart-
^teutand is the former director of pub-
lic fire protection for the National Pire
Sprinkler Association. South Carolina is
running pilot programs for firefighting
and EMS training for high school stu-
dents at six vocational training facilities
across the state.
It is important, according to Ray to
offer young recruits vocational training,
because most need to see some personal
benefit. Older recruits, in their 3os, 4os
~~ {'nz
,~i~~
Total %of Total
2009
All Career: 2,457 8.1%
Mostly Career: 1,752 5.8%
Mostly Vglunteer: 5,099 16.9%
All Volunteer: 20,857 69.1%
Total: 30,165
2030
All Career 2,495 8.3%
Mostly Career. 1,860 62%
Mostly Volunteer. 5,290 17.5%
All Volunteer: 20,480 68%
Total 30,125
Source: National Firo Protection Association
and even 5os, typically come to volun-
teer fire departments out of a deep-
seated duty to serve their community.
This is not something he ofren sees in
the young recruits, he said.
Time is in Short Supply
Another oft-cited reason for the decline
i^ volunteer ranks is that the prolonged
economic downturn has forced many
to work much longer hours to make
ends meet.
"1 had a chief [his morning tell me
that some of his volunteers are working
7o to yo hours a week," Itay said. "They
have no available time to sense at all"
Exacerbating this situation is the
financial woes felt by many local and
state governments. In what seems like a
cruel joke, Barron said that while'Pexas
is able to attract and retain volunteer
firefighters, there is no money to out-
fit them with proper protective equip-
ment. Worse, Barron does not see an
end to this problem, despite constant
efforts to convince Texas lawmakers
to provide adequate funding. He said
the problem stems from both too little
money and too low of a priority placed
on volunteers.
"We've heard that 86% of those
volunteer firefighters pay money out
of their personal accounts to keep the
fire department running," said Barron,
who also is chief of the Manchaca Pire
Department, a combination depart-
ment near Austin. "We've heard cases
where they are putting fuel in the trucks
(with their own money) because the fire
department doesn't have a,ny money or
they are spending it on repairs or PPE.
"lt is like the perfect storm for a fire
department. You have lower levels of
funding, increased call volume and an
unprecedented wildfire season. Last year
was terrible (for wildfires) and the pre-
dictions are that this year is going to be
about the same in Texas."
This Texas-sized problem will not
be solved with a few pancake breakfasts
and car washes. So Barrods association
turned to the private sector, going so
far as to hire a public relations firm to
generate donations. And it is working.
They've pulled in sizable donations, as
much as $roo,ooo, from several asso-
ciations, fmmdations and companies.
To date, funding requests from Texas
volunteer departments has amounted
to about $r million; through donations
they have been able to meet about half
of that demand.
"It has helped, but it hasn't been able
to get everybody itn (protective) gear
yet" Barron said.
An interesting aside to the econom-
icsissue can be found in an NVPC study
conducted several years ago. Accord-
ing to Stittleburg, boom times can have
just as detrimental effect on a volunteer
department as a downturn.
"You have a steadily increasing
demand for services without a cor-
responding increase in volunteers," he
said. "But] the sense of community
that causes people to join hash t devel-
oped yet"
Of course, the real gorilla in the
room is the amount of training that is
required to be a volunteer firefighter.
Not only does rigorous training prepare
volunteer firefighters to perform well
and safely, it also weeds out those who
lack commitment andlor the requisite
physical attributes. Ye[ NFPA noon and
Firefighter 1 and II training require-
ments can be particularly burdensome
FIRECHIEF.COM MARCH 2012 SS
COVER FEATURE » A DANGEROUS CROSSROAD
"The cQUl~ty I vas jest in has ,3l fire cie;aartl~~e,nts and ali
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to volunteers, especially during hard
economic times.
"The class below Firefighter I, which
we call fundamentals of firefighting, is
around 88 hours;' Ray said. "We have (a
Firefighter 1 class) that I just came from
that runs five months for three nights
a week."
Tn Texas, there are no state man-
dates regarding volunteer firefighter
training, which may explain to some
degree why it is able to attract recruits.
However, each department can set its
own training requirements. At Barron's
department in Manchaca, new recruits
must go through anine-month-long
academy before fully participating in
fireground operations.
This has some in [he fire service
questioning the one-size-fits-all training
requirements of NFPA toot and looking
for pragmatic alternatives.
"There was a report in South Caro-
lina on the delivery of statewide train-
ing in t976," Ray said. "One of the rec-
ommendations was that there would be
standards and delivery for the training
of volunteers, and another objective for
career firefighters. It is funny that they
recognized back then the need for two
separate delivery systems."
Ray added that he is looking to cre-
ate training standards by [he end of this
year to meet the specific needs of indi-
vidual fire departments. For example,
according to Ray, many rural fire depart-
ments in South Carolina and Tennessee
only make exterior fire attacks. Likewise,
some volunteers may only drive awater-
supply truck. Meanwhile, Montana
offers an exterior firefighter certifica-
tion, he said.
"Not everybody is going in the burn-
ing building, so shouldn't there be
certification levels that are commen-
surate with their duties?" Ray asked.
"We (need to) look at the community
and what our risks are, then take (into
account) our fire department and what
their capabilities are, and then deliver
the training:'
Stittleburg agrees. He told how many
years ago he had to deliver training on
fire sprinklers when none of the build-
ings in his town had such systems.
"What we are training for has to be
appropriate," he said.
New Thinking is Needed
Like Ray, Stittleburg also thinks that
volunteer departments need to be hon-
est about what services they can provide
and adjust their training and equipment
to that level. Some departments cannot
do hazmat and need [o let government
officials know that they will have to go
elsewhere for that service.
"We can't be in a situation where we
are representing that we can deliver the
services that we dolt have [he skills to
deliver," Stittleburg said. "If we can't
do Swiftwater rescue, then we probably
better not have an airboat that we don't
have adequate training to operate.°
Stittleburg would like to see fire-
fighter training presented in a la carte
modules that allows the chief to select
those that are best suited for the depart-
ment. For example, training on aerial
units or high-rise buildings is irrelevant
in his community because such struc-
tures dolt exist, but water movement,
barn fires and silo fires are very rele-
vant. "It (would) cut down on the time
they spend training and you are going
to get a lot better response to the train-
ing;' hesaid.
Stittleburg, Barron and Ray agree
that a declining number of volunteer
firelighters would raise significantly
the risk of property and life loss. It also
will result in less fire-prevention educa-
tion, less code enforcement and perhaps
worse ISO ratings.
"(Fire prevention[ is going to suf-
fer," Barron said. "It is pretty much the
first thing to go. We are still trying to
tread water to make sure our calls are
answered and our trucks are running
and we've got protective clothing nn."
It also is going to force some volun-
teer fire departments to more heavily
rely on their neighboring departments
through mutual- and automatic-aid
agreements.
"Somebody tweeted [recently) that
mutual aid is a town shirking its respon-
sibilities," Ray said. "No it's not - it is
smart utilization of resources and play-
ing nice together."
Ray took that thinking even further
by calling on chiefs to examine the appa-
ratus they and their neighbors have.
"The county I was just in has 37 fire
departments and all of them have an
(aerial) truck Is that good utilization of
the citizens' money? One of the depart-
ments has an E-One Bronco. Do you
know the training needed to properly
function that bad boy? Why couldn't
one place have that unit and focus on
its use?"
Regardless of whether the NFPA
numbers hold true, the paradigm for
volunteer firefighting is shifting before
our eyes. In the end, there likely is no
magic-bullet solution to the current
dilemma. Accordingly, volunteer chiefs
will need to analyze their individual sit-
uations and try on a series of fixes until
they find the ones that fit. ^
56 M.~RCH 2012 FIREGHIEF.COM