Task Force Seeks To Reverse Decline In Volunteer Firefighters

LONG ISLAND, NY — Faced with a dearth of affordable housing and an escalating pandemic, volunteer fire departments statewide are struggling to find new recruits and retain members, lawmakers said.

According to New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, legislation creating a volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention task force was recently signed into law.

Thiele said the legislation, which he co-sponsored, directs the Office of Fire Prevention and Control to form the task force and issue a report relating to volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention— something that's not just a local, but a nationwide, concern.

A 2017 report by the National Volunteer Fire Council reflected a steady decline in volunteer firefighters, with numbers the lowest since the survey was first launched in 1983. Those numbers, according to the report, dropped from 884,600 in 1983 to 682,600 in 2017.

In comparison, the number of career firefighters saw an uptick from 226,600 in 1983 to 373,600, the report said.

The number of volunteer firefighters, the New York Times said in 2014, was still about twice that of career firefighters, but the nation had seen a decline of about 11 percent since the mid-1980s.

On the East End, a number of forums have been held to address the affordable housing crisis, which has led to the loss of many volunteer firefighters whose families had been involved with local departments for generations.

“This report should be a wake-up call for everyone who serves in, is protected by, or cares about the volunteer fire service,” said National Volunteer Fire Council Chair Kevin D. Quinn in 2017. “We know many volunteer fire departments are struggling to maintain adequate staffing. However, the scale of the loss of volunteer firefighters estimated in this report is really disturbing and something that we need to work as a community and a nation to address.”

Volunteer firefighters "serve an important function as first responders and have been on the frontlines of defense as the battle with COVID-19 rages on," Thiele said. "Unfortunately, volunteer fire districts/departments have been challenged by the steady decline in the number of individuals willing to join the volunteer fire service and the current public health crisis has further exacerbated the need to attract the next generation of volunteer firefighters across New York."

The Firemen's Association of the State of New York, Association of Fire Districts of New York, State Association of Fire Chiefs and New York State Fire Coordinators have done a "remarkable" job, but state needs to take an active role in addressing the issue, Thiele said.

The legislation law will bring together a group with representatives from state agencies, firefighter associations and policy makers to find solutions that will help to fortify the ranks of the volunteer firefighters across New York.

"As chair of the Assembly Local Governments Committee, I was pleased to join with my Senate counterpart, Senator James Gaughran, in sponsoring this important measure on behalf the volunteer firefighter community. Now, more than ever, we must ensure that every effort is being made to strengthen our volunteer fire service by establishing better practices and new techniques to encourage new members to join," Thiele said.