'It is a struggle.' Ohio launches campaign to recruit more volunteer firefighters

Many Ohio fire departments are feeling the heat when it comes to finding and maintaining volunteers.

To raise awareness about the strain, Ohio leaders on Friday announced a new statewide public service campaign encouraging Ohioans to consider becoming a volunteer firefighter and said that training at the Ohio Fire Academy for volunteer positions will now be free.

"Now is the time for Ohioans to step up and become the hometown heroes their communities need," said State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon, who was joined at a news conference by Gov. Mike DeWine and Department of Commerce Director Sherry Maxfield. "These volunteers do not require previous first-responder experience. They only need a shared commitment and dedication to serving their neighbors and communities."

Starting Friday, two 30-second public service announcements are appearing on television, along with ads on various digital platforms, including social media. The ads feature Ohio volunteer firefighters sharing why they choose to serve.

The campaign follows a recommendation from the Ohio Task Force on Volunteer Fire Service, a committee organized in 2022 to study the sustainability of volunteer fire forces.

Individuals can visit MakeMeAFirefighter.org and search for volunteer firefighter opportunities. State leaders said there are nearly 400 open positions across Ohio.

Ohio Task Force on Volunteer Fire Service by Rick Armon on Scribd

Why are fire departments looking for volunteers?

State leaders said about 70% of fire departments in Ohio are volunteer. They also noted that the number of emergency calls is increasing while the number of volunteer firefighters is decreasing. From 2018 to 2021, there was a 6.5% decrease in the number of volunteer firefighters; meanwhile, from 2018 to 2020, there was a 9% increase in calls, according to the state.

Reardon said that providing free training should ease the pressure on some forces and aspiring volunteers.

"That's a big deal for volunteers," he said. "We should not expect our volunteers to foot the bill when they've already raised their hand to give of their time."

Sugarcreek chief: 'It is a struggle'

However, even in the face of these changes, smaller communities still face challenges when it comes to maintaining a volunteer fire force.

The Sugarcreek Fire Department in Tuscarawas County is home to 18 volunteer firefighters. Chief John Meek said recruiting and maintaining a volunteer brigade is a challenge. Sometimes, he has to bring in part-time firefighters to bridge gaps between volunteer shifts.

"We could always use more volunteers. I think we've been fortunate with our community around Holmes and Tuscarawas counties but it is a struggle," Meek said. "Everyone's busy and training is a commitment even though the government lessened the number of training hours from 54 to 36."

Meek said he commends DeWine for bringing attention to the issue, but is unsure whether the issue is a literal lack of volunteers or if the problem lies in a mindset of everyone thinking someone else will always be there to volunteer.

"The goal is to get people back and interested, or at least start thinking this might be something they want to," DeWine said. "A lot of people have just never thought about it. They've never thought, 'This is something I could spend some of my very precious time doing.'"

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio launches campaign to recruit more volunteer firefighters