When a house fire on Kinsdale Drive in Ross was reported to the Berkeley Hills Volunteer Fire Company in the early 2000s, they immediately went into overdrive to send someone to the scene.
Fire Chief Dillon Coleman stated that the vehicle had to be driven by the Ross Township fire marshal. A child who was trapped inside was eventually saved after firefighters managed to contain the situation.
The fire department knew something needed to change after that.
A live-in program, which offers free lodging in exchange for service, was created to guarantee that volunteers are on hand at the station to answer calls promptly.
In order to determine whether this is something we are interested in, we converted an office into a bunk room with three or four bunk beds. He informed me that it quickly filled up. After guests began to arrive on a regular basis, we underwent five or six changes, the most recent of which was a renovation.
Within the Siebert Road station, Berkeley Hills can now accommodate up to 15 volunteers in dorm-style quarters.
In Western Pennsylvania, the fire department is not the first nor the last volunteer department to offer a similar program.
Many fire departments are looking for ways to recruit and retain volunteers as volunteer rates continue to drop. Approximately 90% of the 2,462 fire departments in the state are volunteer-run.
96% of Allegheny County’s departments are run by volunteers.
This is a national issue, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council. There were about 900,000 volunteers nationwide in 1984. That number decreased to just over 650,000 by 2020.
Ben Reynolds, the chief of the Edgewood Volunteer Fire Department, stated, “We are not being compensated for putting our lives in danger while providing a vital service.”
Valleys and peaks
According to Chief Reynolds, a live-in program offers free housing as an incentive for those who are already balancing employment and other responsibilities because volunteers are underpaid and have other obligations.
Over the years, Edgewood has seen an increase in calls, which as of last week totaled 700. To keep up with the growing demand, the department launched its live-in program ten years ago.
There are currently 35 volunteer firefighters in the department, but none of them are full-time live-in program members, according to Chief Reynolds. Volunteers are now staying overnight here and there for any calls, as the last member of the live-in program moved out last week into a neighboring apartment.
He informed me that there is a specific cycle for recruiting volunteers. Running a live-in program will inevitably encounter this cycle of highs and lows.
Fluctuations in membership, whether live-in or not, are caused by people moving on to paid roles in the industry, such as career fire departments and EMS organizations a risk associated with volunteer recruitment in general, he said.
Most live-in volunteers in Berkeley Hills, Edgewood, Monroeville, and Penn Hills remain with the agency for three to five years.
Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Department No. 7 s leadership has made major expenditures in their live-in program, according to Chief Bill Jeffcoat.
When the department purchased the building next door in 2018, it refurbished the top floor to create a dorm-style facility with a living room, kitchen, restrooms, and laundry. There are enough beds to accommodate approximately 20 volunteers, as well as additional bunk-ins who sign up to assist from different departments.
The chief stated that the department currently has 40 active members.
The live-in program has drawn younger members who want to obtain hands-on experience at a station with a high call volume, he added. It has also reduced response times, with an average three-minute turnaround for dispatching a firetruck to a situation after receiving a report.
According to Lt. D.J. Lesh, president of the Monroeville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, live-in programs allow participants to save money while learning new skills.
I think a lot of the younger individuals like to use it as a way, whether it s immediately post-high school, college, to have a place to live that s not home, he told me. They re beginning their early stages of independence from living at home, while not incurring expenses of renting an apartment, and then using it to gain experience in the fire service, often to eventually get a paid job.
To go on calls at volunteer fire departments or join a live-in program, candidates must first complete hundreds of hours of fire training. According to Chief Jeffcoat, this alone might be a stumbling block when it comes to recruiting new members.
How can you bring someone into this lifestyle and tell them before they can do anything they need close to 230 hours of training? he inquired. I mean, if I came off the street with a full-time job, a wife, a son, a mortgage, and vehicle payments, where do I find that time to go and get training before I can put a mask on and go put fires out?
Berkeley Hills, Edgewood, Monroeville, and Penn Hills have all achieved success, with faster response times and reduced expenses.
Not a sustainable solution
According to a 2018 Pennsylvania state Senate report, fire and EMS services are in a crisis, with an aging population, declining volunteer rates, cost increases, and communities shifting their focus to individual needs such as bills and groceries rather than financially supporting agencies like fire and EMS.
The report states that individual volunteer departments are responsible for finding long-term solutions.
And yet, Pennsylvania and its communities continue to rely in large measure on volunteers to perform this critical emergency response and public safety service, according to the report.
Many local volunteer fire departments have sought financial assistance to aid with recruiting and retention, as live-in programs are not a sustainable solution long-term, according to Edgewood Chief Reynolds.
Berkeley Hills was recently given a Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant of somewhat less than $550,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund recruitment and retention activities such as advertising and marketing, according to Chief Coleman.
The funds will also be utilized to provide each member with a small stipend. Ross has provided $80,000 to its eight volunteer fire departments over the last five years, but Berkeley Hills has responded to the most calls, with upwards of 2,000 so far in 2024. Berkeley Hills has a yearly budget of approximately $250,000, according to Chief Coleman.
Allegheny County Community College also operates a program in collaboration with local volunteer organizations.
The college introduced its Firevest Scholarship program in 2009, which provides free training at the county fire academy to students who are currently members of a local department, as well as complete scholarships for a certificate or associate degree.
Rick Susulla, director of public safety at CCAC, stated that candidates must commit to five years of employment with an Allegheny County fire department following graduation. Firevest presently has 119 people enrolled.
Pennsylvania has an Active Volunteer Tuition and Loan Assistance Program that pays $1,000 per year to full-time students and $500 to part-time students. That program was launched in 2022 in response to the growing crisis in attracting first responders, according to the organization s website. It also offers a variety of subsidies and low interest loans.
So, what can departments do to enhance volunteer rates? That is the challenge that leadership at all levels faces, according to Monroeville s Lt. Lesh.
Every Sunday night, we have a family dinner at the fire station. Having people come up and eat dinner is a big help. So we re always looking for fresh and creative methods to help our station without spending a fortune because, again, we re all volunteers, he explained.
I believe there is a broad stigma surrounding why someone would want to do this. We re all here to have fun with people we care about, but it s not easy. If you had asked me when I graduated high school if I thought I d ever be a volunteer firefighter, I would have told you you were insane because it does sound crazy. It can be difficult to understand why someone would do it for free since it appears to be a paid position.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.