Ohio Fire Chief Addresses Shortage of Volunteers

ALEXANDRIA BAY — Recruiting new members remains a challenge for fire departments all across the state, but the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York hopes to reverse the declining number of volunteer firefighters with a nearly $4.3 million federal grant.

“You have a problem today because the economy’s pretty slow; some people are working two or three jobs just to keep their families going. How are they supposed to volunteer on top of that? That’s the struggle they are working with. So we’ve got to think, ‘How can we make it easier for them to volunteer while allowing them to accomplish what they need to accomplish?’” said Chief Timothy L. Holman of German Township Fire & EMS, Springfield, Ohio, who spoke to a crowd of nearly 250 firefighters Thursday at FASNY’s 139th annual convention at Edgewood Resort.

On a local level, Mr. Holman said, fire department leaders should change the work culture and understand that many volunteers quit because of the lack of positive feedback.

“The most common reason firefighters leave is because they don’t feel valued. We need to recognize them. We need to reward them,” he said.

Thomas F. O’Hara, coordinator of FASNY’s volunteer programs, said the number of volunteer firefighters has declined steadily over the past two decades — from nearly 100,000 in the 1990s to a little over 88,000 today.

To help fire departments recruit and retain more members, the firefighters association recently launched a Higher Education Learning Plan, a community college tuition reimbursement program for volunteer firefighters throughout the state.

The program will reimburse up to 100 percent of the tuition of a student/volunteer firefighter who has not already achieved an associate degree or higher in exchange for maintaining good grades and “fulfilling service requirements as a member in good standing” in a volunteer fire company.

Applicants must attend the community college closest to or within a 50-mile radius of their residence.

The deadline to apply for tuition reimbursement for the fall 2011 semester is Oct. 1, and for the spring 2012 semester is Feb. 1.

Mr. O’Hara said the tuition reimbursement program is just the first step in the association’s larger plan to recruit and retain more than 15,000 new firefighters over the next four years. Earlier this year, FASNY secured a $4.27 million U.S. Department of Homeland Security Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant to fund the programs.

With the federal funding, the association also plans to sponsor a large-scale public awareness campaign and provide tools, training and resources for fire departments to attract new members and help keep existing volunteers, he said.

Volunteer fire services in the state protect 9.8 million people through 1,740 volunteer fire agencies served by 88,841 firefighters, according to FASNY’s latest statistics.

The 2011 FASNY convention, which kicked off with an opening ceremony Wednesday, will wrap up today with the election and installation of officers in the morning, followed by a memorial service for deceased members.

For more information or to apply for tuition reimbursement, contact FASNY at 1 (855) 367-6933 or via email at help@fasny.com.