Okay, thank you all for clarifying how it works.

I could see farmers doing it, since most of them around here just have some cows and grow grass. I hadn't thought of them.

Sue

when I was a vollie EMT, we supplemented the paid guys. I'd just call up the station/shift I wanted (3 shifts, and 8 stations) and say "Hey, can I come along on X-day?" So that was easy.

As former volunteer firefighter, who made it to the rank of Lieutenant and also President of the Fire Company, I will give you a short answer and then a long answer.

The short answer:
They can't, so they don't. Our small fire company (the township is even smaller than yours - only 1,450 residents or so) is slowly collapsing for lack of membership.

The long answer:
If you're in a car wreck at 11:20 AM on a Wednesday afternoon, if you're lucky, an extrication crew will be there in 15 to 20. minutes. If you're lucky. If you're not lucky, it will be 40 minutes from the moment you wrecked until the moment someone with extrication tools rolls up. The (paid) ambulance and police will be there first, but they don't carry extrication tools.

The guys who do respond are:

- a self employed contractor who works in the area
- a retired guy
- an unemployed guy
and sometimes a couple of guys who work at a lumber yard about 4 miles from the station.
I used to work from home, so I would also be a daytime responder. I don't anymore.

There is always the possibility of someone being home for the say on vacation or because they work weekends or nights.

But for the most part, the volunteer service is dying. It's not just the need to "be around" for calls.

The training - the incredible amount of training you "need" to have (and most of it is drivien by liability fears) - makes the time you spend on responses trivial.

For example, despite 7 years of practical experience in auto extrications, in my last attempt to re-join the fire company, just to do car wrecks, which were my skill "sweet spot", is was told I'd need to "re-certify" to technician level. Training would be every Tuesday and Thursday night for 8 weeks, 7PM to 10 PM, plus 4 Saturdays 8AM to 4PM, plus a practical testing day.

On day 1 of the training, there was a slide on the screen with a drawing of a car, with arrows pointing to the "Hood", "Roof" and "Trunk" - um....yeah, my 3 year old can handle that. Let's talk about Boron Steel vs. 30,000 PSI O-cutters and the dangers of gas-charged SRS inflation cylinders or the risks of silicosis for the patient from glass saws or how to deal with the laminated glass on BMW's. By the second week, we had moved on to "vehicle stabilization" - and that was the last class for me.

And that's just the time spent in the evening.

So, over and over, the same thing is happening - there's a gradual shift of "dual role" municipal services.

Just yesterday, I got this email:

"Could you please forward this out to your email list of companies. (Town Name) is looking to hire a public works laborer, and preference will be given to firefighters who can help supplement daytime response. Any qualified people who wish to apply can contact either (person) (president) or myself (sender) and we can help make sure the appropriate people get the resume."

So, basically, you're a "paid" firefighter - but not really - because the municipality keeps paying you to pave the roads, clear the drains, whatever - paying you a "low skill" wage - and when there's a fire call they "let" you respond. Since you're a volunteer in name only (see the email above).

And if you're in a municipality like mine - that has no full-time staff at all?

Well, I'm reminded of a call I once got when I worked from home.

Pager went off, I drove to the station (8 minutes!), I was only one there.

I waited for more guys to arrive (2 minutes) because I can't roll a truck without a crew.
At 10 minutes after the initial dispatch, when there's no response over radio from the disptached station, county radio calls, "Rescue 47 are you responding?" and I reply "No, unable to respond" and so they page two other companies, I back the truck up and close the doors. I left the radio on, and sat and listened as the other two stations didn't respond for 7 minutes. They rolled "undermanned" (with only 3 on board). And that's how it happens now.

The paper mill closed in the 1990's - that was a big source of volunteers.
The local retail shops are mostly gone, and the ones that are left won't let anyone leave for a call.
The small public school that was in town, the one where the maintenance worker was a responder - that's now a private school and, well don't get me started, but I've always pondered why the peace love and granola types that go to/work at that school (where I used to send my kids and I made many good friends) don't ever volunteer for emergency services.

And you're right - most of the people left, can't afford to respond. It's a sad state of affairs.

So it sounds like the worse the economy gets, the less volunteer first responders there will be. I imagine if you're struggling to keep food on the table there's no way you can afford the time or risk of putting yourself in harms way. Especially with no insurance coverage.

Sue, I've been a vol nozzlehead since my senior year of high school back in 1990. Back then the only required training for my dept was the Essentials of Firefighting. About 120 hours or so. Every Saturday for 3 months. Now we require the Firefighter 1 national certification. I was able to challenge the test and get my cert that way. Nowadays, between working two jobs and raising three daughters with my Wife there is no way I could do it. As it is, with 35 members, we get about 4 or 5 for a daytime call. We have partnered with the other two vol depts for automatic mutual aid. We get a daytime call now we know we are going to get at least 2 engines and a tower, with the crews to staff them. We train together several times a year and frankly most of our structure fire calls come in the other areas.
I do sometimes think of giving it up, but I'm just not ready.

Pretty sad state of affair reading Martin's response. Although that would never happen here, because they banned volunteer FF...

Sue, I've read the responses to your question and I share their pain. I have watched the volunteer fire companies in my county, almost without exception, become combination departments (Think Higher Taxes). Most of these are now supplementing both day and evening manpower due to the number of jobs that "left" the area causing our folks to seek employment well beyond the districts borders. I have "retired" from the fire service due to the fact that the knees don't work as good as they used to. However, I have remained active in the local rescue company (Heavy Technical Rescue, non-EMS)having been there 36 years, and the manpower shortage is affecting us as well. The most critical times are 6AM to about 2PM, when most of the best trained and most experienced responders are on their regular jobs. With active recruiting efforts we have managed to remain 100% volunteer and we endeavor to remain that way for the foreseeable future. The cost of recruiting, training, and equiping the folks is staggering to the department, but even more expensive is the time and personal expenditures made by the members themselves. The key, at least in our area, is pride and dedication. Without those factors in play we wouldn't be able to sustain the service levels currently provided.

Well, in PA at least, if you're a volunteer, you're covered under the townships' workman's compensation policy during responses.

Yeah, I've read about that. Maybe not the worst thing, in the long run.

Yes, yes and 1000 times yes.

Let me give you an example of the "staggering" cost (my previous post about the time covers the personal cost).

Here in Bucks County, they installed a 500Mhz digital radio system to replace the "ancient" 46Mhz analog system that was in use (we called it the "low-band" system.)

When the new radio system came online, in the early 2000's (I think 2001, but I'm not sure) let's just say that it didn't meet expectations, but we still got an invoice for $36,000 for the radios. This is for 6 trucks and a few handhelds. Not dozens of radios. We're talking about 12 radios here.

Fastforward to today, and the whole county radio system needs to be replaced with a totally new setup in the 700Mhz band, and it's going to cost $100 Million dollars in the county, of which AT LEAST $120,000 - that's one hundred twenty thousand dollars - is going to be the burden on the little fire company where I used to run, and their entire annual operating budget was only $80,000 or so.

Think about that. That's a LOT of pancakes to flip to make that kind of money. They get a tiny tax allocation, but you try raising taxes on a community. There are no grants.

Here's a good article on this:
http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-arti...ost-100-million