North Allegheny communities looking to boost membership in volunteer fire companies

Local fire departments want to spark some enthusiasm in volunteering to combat lagging membership.

Brandon McCrea, deputy chief at Highland Volunteer Fire Department, one of the three fire departments that serve McCandless, said compared to when he became a volunteer there 16 years ago, he has noticed a big difference in numbers.

“When I joined, you couldn’t make a rig. We had so many people,” said McCrea, referring to going to emergency calls.

He said in 2005 the department probably had roughly 40 active firefighters. Five years ago, it was down to about 28.

Recruitment was not great in 2020, mostly due to the pandemic, said McCrea. Numbers in 2021, though, rebounded. The department garnered 11 applicants, with 10 staying in the program. The department now has 35 active firefighters.

McCrea, 32, chalks up the new bump of recruits to a more progressive and younger leadership team, which might have made them more relatable to younger people. They also are doing more social media.

A steady decline in volunteer firefighters is not something new, said Jeffrey Giger, deputy chief at Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company Station 188 in McCandless.

“It’s hard to get people to commit because it’s time consuming. It’s a demanding job,” said Giger, 54.

Peebles has 65 total volunteers, 40 of whom are active firefighters. The department averages about 1,000 calls per year, with last year reaching 1,100, he said. Not all of these are fire-related.

Peebles station, located on Duncan Avenue in McCandless, also provides Quick Response Services, which means volunteers can answer medical-related emergency calls, said Giger, who has been volunteering since the 1980s.

Peebles covers commercial areas along McKnight Road, La Roche College, UPMC Passavant, residential buildings and homes in McCandless and North Park, sharing responses with nearby Ingomar Volunteer Fire Company and Highland Volunteer Fire Department, according to the Peebles webside, peeblesfire.org. New developments, such as the McCandless Crossing shopping area on McKnight, add to the volume.

Getting volunteers is not just a local problem. Finding those willing to fight fires has been a problem for volunteer departments statewide, said Pennsylvania Acting State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook.

“The number of individuals willing to step up and volunteer has been on decline for quite a few years,” said Cook, adding there’s been a lag in professional fire fighters, too.

In the 1960s and 1970s, there were approximately 300,000 fire fighters, both professional and volunteer, statewide. Now, it’s around 32,000, said Cook, terming it as being at a “crisis” level.

The Pennsylvania State Fire Commission acts as an advisory department to fire departments in the commonwealth. It receives reports that not only are numbers low, but the “experience is not what it used to be.”

He has been serving as acting fire commissioner since November but has been in the fire service for almost 40 years and sees several factors for the decline.

People might be more selective in what they choose to volunteer for, and time is a big factor. Many households have two working parents, limiting availability. And children seem to be more involved in extracurricular activities than years past, which keeps parents busy.

“There’s a lot of pressure on a family that makes it difficult to volunteer,” he said. “My general impression is the existing volunteer population is an aging population,” Cook said.

Marshall Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Isaac has seen a lag in numbers of active firefighters at his department.

“I think that’s something that’s true everywhere,” said Isaac, who has been chief at Marshall VFD since 2020.

Marshall VFD, with stations on Northgate Drive and Knob Road, currently has 19 active firefighters, with four new recruits.

But 20 or 30 years ago, It might have had 50 firefighters as opposed to about 20 now.

Isaac, 60, said his department is fortunate to have a large group of volunteers at the Marshall stations, many of whom help on the business side of things, such as computer work, finances or providing fire safety checks. While these are very important to the station, active, interior firefighters are harder to come by.

Marshall’s call volume is around 500 annually, which also reflects non-fire emergencies. Because of its location, the department provides emergency responses for vehicle accidents on portions of I-79, Route 19 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Isaac said.

He said 48% of their 477 calls last year were automatic fire alarms or false alarms. They answered 12 structure fires last year, with the most outside Marshall Township.

Local fire departments usually act as a back-up to one another.

Assistant Chief Norm Voegler III of Ingomar Volunteer Fire Company Station 187 on Harmony Drive in McCandless said volunteering isn’t the same as it used to be.

“Fire departments were a community thing, a family thing,” said Voegler, who has been doing it for 20 years. He said his department tries to recruit high school volunteers, but once they turn 18, they usually go to college. And families don’t want to commit their free time to the department.

Voegler said five years ago, the department would be able to send out five to eight people on a call, but now it’s three to five.

Part of being a competent firefighter is having the right training, which takes time as well.

Approximately 180 hours of training is needed for a Firefighter 1 certification per the current Pennsylvania State Fire Academy Entry Level Training Curriculum general plan of instruction, said Glenn Kopec, administrator of the Allegheny County Emergency Services Fire Academy. Additional training could be gained on top of that if requested. Training requirements are set at the local level, and not state, he said.

Recruits can take their time and work certification into their schedule, Isaac said.

Local fire departments can use Allegheny County Fire Academy in Allison Park, Butler County Fire Academy and even a Cranberry Township satellite training spot, Isaac said.

Volunteering in a non-active role at the station could provide some insight into what an interior firefighter does. Isaac encourages women to volunteer, and his department has several female firefighters, including his wife.

Many local fire departments offer junior firefighter programs starting at 16 years of age, but these volunteers can’t become active until 18, said Isaac.

The state fire commission is working to come up with solutions. Cook said it recently hired a manager for recruitment and retention.

Cook said the fire commission also is working with the state legislature to provide tax credits and/or loan forgiveness programs for active volunteer firefighters.

The Allegheny County Fire Volunteer Education, Service and Training Scholarship Program, or FireVEST, provides full scholarships for an associate’s degree or certificate program at the Community College of Allegheny County, according to Allegheny County’s website. The scholarships are awarded in exchange for a commitment of five years of service to a volunteer fire department in Allegheny County.

Kevin Bott, 23, has been a volunteer firefighter at Peebles VFD for three years. He also has noticed recruitment has been a challenge, but there have been some new members.

“We’re in a fortunate position. We’re getting younger ones in,” Bott said.

Bott, of Hampton, said he never feels overwhelmed by volunteering at the station and enjoys having somewhere to go in his free time. He attends West Virginia University, but when he’s on break, he comes to the station and keeps busy with station duties or just waiting for the next call.

“I tell my parents I’d rather sit up here bored than at home bored,” he said.