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COVER FEATURE » A DANGEROUS CROSSROAD
<br />When the National Fire Protection
<br />Association released its latest figures on
<br />the number of firefighters in the United
<br />States last October, an alarm went off in
<br />the volunteer sector. That's because the
<br />number of volunteer firefighters was at
<br />its lowest since tggt.
<br />This is cause for concern, but just
<br />how much concern? National Volunteer
<br />Fire Council Chairman Philip Stittle-
<br />burg is quick to channel author Mark
<br />Twain when he said [hat reports of the
<br />volunteer fire service's death are greatly
<br />exaggerated. Stittleburg, who also is
<br />long-time chief of the LaFarge (Wis.)
<br />Volunteer Fire Department, does how-
<br />ever caution that if this trend contin-
<br />ues, the volunteer service will reach a
<br />crisis state.
<br />The NFPA data covers t986 to zoro.
<br />And while the zoro numbers are the
<br />lowest in t9 years, the years 2989, tg9o
<br />and 2992 all showed less volunteer fire-
<br />fighters than did zoro. Tablet (right)
<br />shows the number of career and volun-
<br />teer firefighters for the last 20 years. (For
<br />the full NFPA report, visit hap://tinyurl
<br />.com/3fm98r)/~)
<br />Another figure that jumps out of [he
<br />report concerns the number of firefight-
<br />ers per 2,00o residents they protect. For
<br />both career and volunteer, zo2o marks
<br />the lowest rate since NFPA began col-
<br />lecting data in 2986.
<br />To put these results in perspective,
<br />it is important to understand how
<br />NFPA gathers this data. For communi-
<br />ties with populations less than 50,000,
<br />the survey is sent to a sample that is
<br />stratified by the size of the community;
<br />projections are then based on weighted
<br />samples. About one-third of the states
<br />are surveyed each year on a three-year
<br />rolling schedule. The association said
<br />that about r9p/o of surveyed depart-
<br />ments respond.
<br />Although the NFPA study does not
<br />breakdown its results by region, in some
<br />areas, such as Texas, the number of vol-
<br />unteers is steadily rising. This, said Chris
<br />Barron, executive director of the Texas
<br />State Fireman's and Fire Marshal's Asso-
<br />ciation, is likely due in part to formal
<br />recruiting efforts and the unprecedent-
<br />ed wildland fire season that the state
<br />experienced last year. His association
<br />used federal grant money to kick off
<br />a statewide recruitment and retention
<br />program. Part of that program calls for
<br />departments to submit exact member-
<br />ship numbers every six months. Since
<br />khe first grant in zoo8, Texas has seen a
<br />steady increase in its volunteers.
<br />Though Stittleburg admits that
<br />the NFPA numbers may not have the
<br />exactness of a full-blown census, he is
<br />confident that they accurately reflect
<br />Year Total Career Volunteer Departments
<br />2000 1,064,150 286,800 777,350 30,339
<br />2001 1,078,300 293,600 784,700 30,020
<br />2002 1,108,250 291,650 816,600 30,310
<br />2003 1,096,900 296,850 SOO,D50 30,542
<br />2004 1,100,750 305,150 795,600 30,400
<br />2005 1,136,650 313,300 823,350 30,300
<br />2006 1,140,900 316,950 823,950 _
<br />30,635
<br />20D7 1,148,500 323,350 825,450 30,185
<br />2008 1,148,850 321,700 827,150 30,170
<br />2009 1,148,100 335,950 812,150 30,165
<br />2010 1,103,300 335,150 768,150 30,125
<br />Source: National Fire Protection Assoclatlon: U.S. Fire Department Prattle Through 2010. NFPA has kept career,
<br />volunteer antl tlepartment statistics since 1983; 2010 is the most curcent Oata available.
<br />trends in volunteer membership. And
<br />for volunteer or cmnbination chiefs
<br />who are seeing their numbers slip, it
<br />doesn't matter much if the NFPA sur-
<br />vey is on a three-year rolling cycle or
<br />not. They need to know why those
<br />numbers are dropping and what to do
<br />to right the ship.
<br />"This isn't demonstrable in any
<br />statistical evidence, but 1 think we are
<br />seeing the aging of the volunteer fire
<br />service," Stittleburg said. "People are
<br />retiring and we are failing to bring in
<br />younger people to fill those spots. The
<br />average age of volunteer firefighters is
<br />increasing -that much we know."
<br />Stittleburg believes that recruiting
<br />efforts need to be aimed at those in their
<br />teens and zos. "In the past we've recruit-
<br />ed byword of mouth. That doesn't seem
<br />to be getting it done anymore," he said.
<br />"We've got to begetting into the schools
<br />and saying this is something that you
<br />54 MARCH 2072 FIRECHIEF.COM
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