Fire departments looking for volunteers in Washington

Fire departments across the country are facing a shortage of young able volunteers and Western Washington is not immune.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the number of volunteer firefighters nationwide has fallen 10 percent since 1984 – while call volume has tripled.

At Fire District 14, there’s only three full time firefighters and they are looking for up to 20 volunteers.

Once trained and certified, volunteers are required to work four 12-hour shifts a month.

Battalion Chief Dan Hugo says it’s crucial to have extra help throughout the year.

“Some of us full-time people are supposed to work 40 hours a week,” Hugo said. “And we are pushing 70-80 hours a week so it’s just tough on everybody.”

But finding candidates in places like Puyallup has been challenging with the population skewing older.

So recruiting efforts are now also ramped up on social media to find volunteers from across the country.

Volunteer firefighting is a paid position and some can make up to $5,000 over a six-month period, depending on how many shifts they work.

We talked to two volunteer firefighters at Fire District 14.

Michael Cramer, 24, has been there two years and is working to pass all the tests and requirements to go full time.

Steven Roberts, 30, has been volunteering since 2005.  He said he eventually wants to go full time and it’s not all about the money.

“It’s a pretty rewarding experience,” Roberts said. “You find yourself wanting to stick around as much as you can.”

Officials say another reason for the shortage of volunteer firefighters is that more of them are being recruited  to become full-time firefighters.

More federal funding is becoming available to create these opportunities across the country.

Cox Media Group