9 Investigates: Decline in volunteer firefighters puts lives, property at risk

CHESTER, S.C. — The number of emergency calls is soaring while the ranks of volunteer firefighters shrink -- many volunteer firefighters are in their 60s and 70s.

Channel 9 reporter Greg Suskin investigates why young people aren't signing up for the job, and why being a volunteer is a much tougher climb than it used to be.

Billy Beard wakes up in the middle of the night and races to emergency calls in Chester County. He drives the fire engine, coordinates other responders and is often the first to arrive at a scene.

Beard is 79 and has survived a stroke and a heart attack.

"(I) just love that feeling of helping people," Beard said.

He doesn't pull hose anymore or walk into burning buildings, but Beard is worried that he doesn't see people lining up to take his place.

"It's frustrating, but what can you do? It concerns me that down the road, no one may be interested anymore," he told Channel 9.

It's the same story with Richard Miller, who also works at the Lando Fire Department, where he's one of 24 volunteers. He joined the department when he was 18. He's now 69.

“The fire station was just down the street from where I grew up. I could hear the sirens whenever they went off. Lots of times I could see the smoke," Miller said.

These days, Miller said few people share that same sense of community. People are busier, and during the day few volunteers can respond to calls.

"If there's a structure fire in any district, they automatically call three departments, and that's not to have enough equipment, that's to have enough personnel," Miller said.

Sometimes a medical or traffic accident call at night may end up with half a dozen or more firefighters responding. However, during standard working hours, sometimes only one or two make it to the scene, which is why multiple stations are always toned out.

Another concern is response time. Miller said so far, they've been lucky.

"We've always been able to piece together enough people to get there and do our job, but that may not always be the case," he said.

It's not just that people are busy and less likely to be able to leave their jobs to answer emergency calls -- training is a huge issue. Since 9/11, and even before that, the government dramatically increased the training standards for volunteers.

Guidelines state that 105 hours of initial training is required just to put on the gear and go out on a call, and 60 additional hours of training are needed to rise to the rank of firefighter 1, and still 40 more hours for firefighter 2.

Then there is specialized training that most departments need their volunteers to take. That includes 40 hours to be able to drive a fire truck, 40 hours to operate a pumper truck at a scene and 44 hours of hazmat training.

In order to be able to handle medical calls and deal with patient care, an additional 145 hours are required to be a certified EMT.

"People just don't have the time," said Amanda Foster, director of fire services for York County. She recently took over the position and has made recruitment a priority. She said even the initial training is a deterrent to many.

"That's over 100 hours, so if you have a full-time job, a family and things like that, it's really hard," Foster said.

The number of volunteer firefighters nationally has been in decline for decades. In 1984, there were 897,750 nationwide. By 2015, there were only 808,150.

During that decline, the emergency calls they respond to have tripled. That's significant because 60 percent of the country is served by either all-volunteer or mostly volunteer fire departments.

[LINK: North Carolina State Firefighters' Association]

North Carolina has almost 36,000 volunteer firefighters. The state firefighter's association told Channel 9 that they don't track declines in numbers.

In South Carolina, volunteer levels have fallen 13 percent since the 1980s, while the state's population has nearly doubled.

[CLICK HERE for information about volunteer firefighting in South Carolina]

To retain firefighters and recruit new blood, some departments are considering paying volunteers per call, or per hour. Others built workout rooms to attract younger people.

Both states have received grants aimed at firefighter recruitment and retention, however, they've only been somewhat successful.

Locally, volunteer fire departments are going where the recruits are. In York County, that means working to get a new introductory firefighter program into the high schools. That could get some students well on their way to completing their training, and also boost interest among teenagers.

"I think that's really going to make a difference in the volunteers we have," Foster said. "We're optimistic."

She hopes to have the program in at least one high school in York County by fall.

Men like Miller and Beard don't want to give up what they love, but they can't race off to save lives forever.

"I can't pull the hose like I once did. I can't go in and fight the fire like I once did," said Miller.

At almost 80, Beard is concerned whenever he's the first to a scene. He knows what the stress feels like waiting for backup to arrive.

"It may only be a few minutes, but it feels like forever," he said. "You could strain yourself real bad. You don't know what could happen."

On the outside brick wall at the Lando Fire Department is a sign that reads “Since 1958,” and volunteers want their historic department to keep answering the call.

Cox Media Group