Helping To Protect Our Communities
We take for granted that our communities are protected by fire departments — whether they be paid or volunteer. But there’s a problem here and across the country. According to data from the National Volunteer Fire Council, the number of volunteer firefighters in the U.S. declined by more than 200,000 from 1984 to 2020.
A report by WVNS suggests that problem is hitting southern West Virginia hard.
“It is difficult in this day and age to recruit new volunteer firefighters. People’s lives are busy, people have games to go to, some folks are working two jobs, or taking care of an aging parent. So, finding time to volunteer is difficult,” Will Davis, public information officer for the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department in Raleigh County, told WVNS.
Perhaps it is because attitudes are changing about whether firefighting is too dangerous a job to do without being paid. Perhaps younger people believe the job is being handled, not considering that in many volunteer fire departments the folks still willing to do the job are getting older.
Whatever the reason, it is a problem that is putting communities in danger. Davis told WVNS he believes there will always be someone willing to run toward a fire when help is needed. It’s difficult to ask people to leave their families and go and help a stranger. But, if they do give it a chance and see that fulfillment that they get from helping a neighbor or being there on someone’s worst day and giving them a glimmer of hope, it’s a kind of fulfillment you can’t find anywhere else,” he said.
He is right, of course. But we can only hope a new generation starts producing enough of those who are willing to find out.