Volunteer firefighters make up most U.S. departments, by far.
Yet the state of volunteer firefighting is in serious trouble.
The NFPA issued a report in March that said there were 46,000 fewer volunteers in 2017 than a year earlier.
There just aren’t enough people willing or able to answer emergency calls any more.
And it’s not just limited to rural areas. Response times are going up and the number of people responding keeps falling.
It’s past time to start finding solutions.
Here to discuss that is Billy Goldfeder.
He’s the deputy chief of the Loveland-Symmes, Ohio, Fire Department. He is a contributing editor for FireRescue magazine and other fire service magazines.
Billy’s a member of the board of directors for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the September 11th Families Association of New York and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
You can find him at FirefighterCloseCalls.com
Billy’s article: The Butcher, Baker, and Candlestick Maker Are Not Coming
Article: Alternative Staffing for Volunteer Fire Departments