The Jan. 7 edition of U.S. News and World Report offered “50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2008.” The collection of articles suggests New Year resolutions that will help improve both individuals and their communities. My wife, Diana, who is a classically trained dance teacher, was immediately drawn to the article on learning to ballroom dance for both fitness and recreation. I was drawn to the article urging folks to join their local volunteer fire departments and serve their communities in an organized and time-honored fashion.
The article indicates that 72% of the firefighters in the United States are volunteers, but these numbers have dropped by 8% since 1984. It also indicated that volunteer departments also need non-emergency support staff, and interested individuals should contact 1-800-FIRELINE for more details on how to volunteer.
The article is extremely timely as it follows an article by Jim Wilson, fire chief of Mariposa County, Calif., in the fall issue of the IAFC’s VCOS News, the newsletter of the Volunteer & Combination Officers Section. Wilson reminds us not only should volunteer departments be on a constant mission to recruit and retain good members, but also that not every member needs to be trained or certified in every type of emergency handled by that department. Specialty-response members could be certified in traditional interior structural firefighting with or without wildland firefighting, EMS only, or support. He defined support to include such duties as the rehab team, accountability, logistics or PIO work. Aside from the emergency scene, these individuals also could help with any number of clerical duties to assist the officers and the department in administration.
Those of us who rely on volunteer or part-time firefighters in part or solely need to make a New Year’s resolution not only to recruit good candidates for our department but to also make the volunteer recruiting process more user-friendly. Wouldn’t it be great if this started a trend back to individuals taking time for community service that included more help for the local fire department?
