Doing more with less : State of economy takes toll on volunteer fire departments
Posted on Monday, August 4, 2008
The safety of most of rural Washington County rests on the goodwill, and shoulders, of a few good men. But smalltown and rural fire chiefs are emphasizing the few when it comes to the number of volunteers their departments see at emergency calls, especially during the day.
Fire chiefs speculated that because of fuel prices — because volunteers drive to emergencies in their own vehicles on their own dime — or a tightening economy, more volunteers are taking second jobs or are unable to leave jobs during the day, leading to a shortage in help.
Elkins fire Chief J. D. Demotte said he has several crew members working multiple jobs but doesn’t know if that’s the cause of the shortage. During a daytime emergency on a normal workday, Elkins can muster about seven volunteers, he said. On a weekend or night call, the department sees about 12 volunteers, he said.
“ We do have a lot of guys who work in town for businesses that allow them to leave during the day, so that really helps, ” Demotte said.
The Elkins Fire Department is looking for quality volunteers more than it is quantity, he said.
“ They’ve got to want to do it, ” Demotte said. “ If their heart’s not in it, what’s the point ?”
Tontitown fire Chief Mike Zulpo said his department is missing men who have had to take two jobs, but what really has been hitting his volunteers is the fuel prices.
“ It’s eating their lunch because they’re driving their personal vehicles to these calls, ” Zulpo said. “ Also, we’ve got a lot of guys that were able to leave during the day but got new jobs that won’t let them leave. ”
Farmington fire Chief Mark Cunningham said his volunteers are in the same situation when it comes to fuel prices. Emergencies are unplanned, and volunteers who budget weekly for gas are going over budget when the department receives two or three calls in a week, he said.
Volunteers who took extra jobs are having to choose between working for the department and spending time with their families, he said.
Johnson fire Chief Matt Mills said his department is staffing five full-time workers until 10 p. m. each night to make sure there are enough people to respond to a call during the day. He said the community supports its Fire Department wholeheartedly.
“ We’ve been at full staff for a while, and we do have a waiting list, ” Mills said. “ We’ve had people wait several months before we call them to a meeting. ”
Departments are trying to help volunteers battle fuel prices. Most offer volunteers some sort of payment to help cover the gas.
According to the fire chiefs, volunteers get $ 10 per call in Elkins, $ 12 in Tontitown, $ 7 for medical calls and $ 15 for fire calls in Farmington, and $ 30 a month in Johnson if they respond to at least two calls.
“ We’re lucky if that gets them seven to eight gallons of gas, ” Mills said.
Mutual aid agreements between rural departments help with staffing problems, but they may not be a longterm solution, said John Luther, director of the Washington County Department of Emergency Management. If a fire occurs in Elkins and departments like Round Mountain and Prairie Grove help, those departments might be in trouble if a fire happens in their service area, he said.
“ We have to use our assets throughout the county kind of like a chess game, ” he said.
Luther said situations like structure fires, grass fires and car accidents with entrapment require a lot of manpower and place volunteers in dangerous situations.
He said volunteers are being stretched thin. Weather — be it hot or cold, rainy or windy — makes working in emergency situations more difficult, which requires more people to respond to allow for rotations. On a large structure fire, he said, state laws mandate that for every two firefighters in the structure there must be two outside on standby along with workers running the command post and fire pumps.
“ If it’s 100 degrees outside, their job just gets harder, ” he said.
What rural departments and Washington County emergency officials do in terms of emergency services is tops in comparison to other areas in the state, Luther said, but he hopes rural municipalities put more funding into their departments to garner more full-time workers during the day.
“ We’re going to have to get something figured out, ” he said. “ These communities have a lot of fire risks. The critical element is that it’s a system. Not any one department can do anything without its neighbor’s help. ”
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