Rural fire departments running short of volunteers

We have a higher threshold for items about articles from The Associated Press because we figure that many of our readers have already seem them, but few weekly newspapers get AP service sometimes the wire offers up a story that goes to the heart of the changes and challenges in rural America. Such is the story by Nate Jenkins and Kelley Gillenwater about rural fire and rescue departments running short of volunteers. Is this happening in your rural area?

This photo by Jenkins shows Ben Van Pelt, right, and Wes Schmer of the Ogallala Volunteer Fire Department in Nebraska putting out a hay fire last month. Ogallala firefighters responded to the fire because the closest volunteer department couldn't.

The units are "struggling with declining membership, increased costs and changing attitudes," the reporters write. "Volunteer fire and rescue personnel represent 72 percent of the nation's 1.1 million firefighters. More than 50 percent of volunteers are associated with departments that cover areas with populations of less than 2,500, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Between 1984 and 2006, the number of volunteers nationwide fell by 8 percent, or nearly 74,000, according to information from the National Fire Protection Association."

And the causes of those trends? "Fire officials blame the staffing decline on several factors, including increased family demands, employers who are less sympathetic toward community concerns, and regulations that require volunteers to take up to 200 hours worth of training before they can start fighting fires." Also, with increased movement from one place to another, "people kind of lose that connection" that keeps generations of the same family in the unit, said David Finger of the National Volunteer Fire Council. And with more sources of recreation and information, such as cable TV and the Internet, "The local fire hall is becoming less of a social hub for small communities," Jenkins and Gillenwater report. (Read more)

Another likely reason the reporters don't cite is that in some areas, there are fewer people available to volunteer. Much of their reporting comes from areas that are losing population, such as the Great Plains and Central Appalachia. Jenkins is based in Nebraska, Gillenwater in West Virginia. But other areas have problems getting and keeping first-responder volunteers, as described in a 2006 report by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy. How is the staffing among your volunteer units? Maybe they need help with recruiting.