Volunteers decline for fire department

By Debra Friedman
Staff Writer
Greenwich TimeArticle Launched: 11/02/2008 03:29:36 AM EST

Volunteers decline for fire department - Topix

As the fire department continues to expand its stations, programs and equipment, officials said they are grappling with a declining number of volunteer firefighters in the area - an issue plaguing departments across the country.

"Nationwide, recruitment is an issue. Here in Greenwich it is more of an issue," said Fire Chief Peter Siecienski. "The pool of candidates is diminishing."

According to a town report conducted in 1989, there were more than 500 volunteer firefighters in Greenwich. This year, there are about 100 volunteers spread throughout eight firehouses, fire officials said.

Siecienski said he attributes the problem to numerous issues including young people moving out of the area for college and jobs, people commuting outside of the town for work and an the increasing cost of living in the area.

"It is very difficult to recruit and retain," said Siecienski.

The issue of declining recruitment is particularly evident in the backcountry, where demographics have shifted dramatically from blue-collar to white-collar residents, said Chief Rick Strain, of the Round Hill Volunteer Fire Company.. The station has only a dozen volunteers trained to fight fires, Strain said. In 1989, the station had nearly 150 volunteers, according to records.

"It's getting a little too expensive to stay living there," said Strain.

The problem is not unique to Greenwich. According to the Greenbelt, Md.-based National Volunteer Fire Council, the once long-standing tradition of families volunteering generation after generation is weakening. And the overall number of volunteer firefighters is on a downward slope, according to a 2007 study on their Web site. The council associates this problem to people having less time, a migration to urban areas, more stringent training requirements and internal leadership problems, according to the study.

The study indicates that departments that fought to reverse the decreasing trend, however, often saw a resurgence in volunteerism.

In Greenwich, the fire department chose to address the problem head on three years ago by hiring a full-time paid staff member whose job is to recruit volunteer firefighters.

Brian Kelly, who is also the chief of the Fire Patrol Police for the Cos Cob Volunteer Fire Department, said the number of recruits each year has remained fairly steady since he began his job, despite being relatively low in comparison with previous decades.

"I get them in waves," said Kelly, who noted that he interviews about 20 people a year, the majority of whom end up completing their training and being accepted into a station. "You have a range of people from all different demographics."

Kelly recruits volunteers by speaking on local radio stations, visiting town events and distributing a video that details the process and benefits of becoming a volunteer firefighter.

"Volunteers really come in handy on any emergency you can think of," said Kelly. "There are a lot of benefits. It can help you improve your own employment status, and it builds on team work, training, teaching and leadership skills."

Kelly said there is always a need for more volunteers and attributed part of the low numbers to a lack of education about the department itself.

"I know a lot of new residents that don't know what their fire department is," he said, noting that paid and volunteer firefighters work together in emergency events.

While the training is time consuming, with new volunteers having to put in 140 hours before becoming certified, Kelly said volunteers choose the time they will devote to their fire house once they complete the firefighters test.

As the town becomes more developed and the department plans for the addition of another fire house on King Street, Kelly said the need for volunteers is greater than ever.

"The more you people you have, the less of a strain it is on the department," said Kelly.