Feb 7, 2019 3 min read

Thirty years ago, there was a waiting list to join the South Brownsville Volunteer Fire Department.

The department’s current chief, Ron Barry, had to sign up and patiently wait for his turn to be trained. His goal was to serve his community.

Now, however, South Brownsville finds itself in the same position as so many other volunteer fire organizations across the state: getting by with just a handful of core members, even as the number of calls increases.

The department has 26 members – about one-tenth of the number they had when Barry joined – and they have jumped from responding to 100 calls each year to almost 360 yearly.

There are currently about four dozen volunteer fire companies covering the communities of Fayette County. Almost every single one of the men and women who take care of this vital service don’t get paid.

In large part, they all get by because these volunteers are without borders. They go where they are needed, departments back one another up, and members offer their services not only to the community in which they reside, but to their neighbors.

Their continued service is essential to our safety.

In November, the state issued a report noting that both fire companies and emergency medical services are in a crisis. Firefighting ranks dropped from 300,000 in the 1970s to 38,000. The report noted that about 90 percent of the state’s fire departments are staffed only by volunteers.

The report talks about legislating incentives to increase those numbers, be it through college scholarships or tuition, insurance benefits or potential stipends for training, but little has been done to make that happen.

There needs to be some forward progress from lawmakers. Now.

Representatives from some of our area departments, including South Union Volunteer Fire Co., said they are going to start a speaking program. They plan on reaching out to area school students, explaining what volunteer firefighters do, and urging them to join.

South Union Chief Rick McCormick said he believes increased public awareness may help drum up public support.

We hope it will.

Perhaps it will begin generational service, as New Haven Hose Co. has experienced. Chief Jeff Layton said the Connellsville-based company is always looking for more volunteers, but has benefited by grandfathers, sons and grandsons who carry on the family tradition of service.

Six new members joined that company last year, with an average age of 21.

There is no time like the present for those who have considered joining a local company but have yet to do so. Yes, the training requires long hours and you will have to sacrifice some of your free time to go out on calls.

But in doing those things, you will be serving a greater good, helping your community and acting as a steward to keep your neighbors safe.