WESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia University Extension wants to know why the state’s volunteer fire departments are struggling to recruit and support firefighters.
WVU Extension launched its new West Virginia Volunteer Firefighter Service Survey to try to get to the bottom of the issue.
“Volunteering levels have been going down over the last 20 years or so, so we are trying to get a grip on why people are not signing up to volunteer,” WVU State Fire Training Academy training director Mark Lambert said Wednesday on MetroNews Talkline.
The survey is available now through the Extension website and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Lambert underscored the importance of maintaining a healthy population of volunteer firefighters because of West Virginia’s demographics. An overwhelming majority of the state’s firefighters are volunteers.
“92 percent of the state is represented by volunteer fire departments, so this is something worth looking at, and we’re getting this together,” Lambert said.
Anecdotally, Lambert said he has heard several explanations for why people are no longer signing up for their local VFDs. He believes much of the issues come from potential recruits having to focus on other parts of their lives.
“Some of them say training. Some of them say work and family life. Some people are taking care of their parents or their own kids,” he said.
Other states have found success providing incentives to firefighters for signing up and continuing to serve. Some of those perks include tax credits, retirement benefits, and stipends.
“There’s a lot of ideas floating around. We just have to find one that works for West Virginia,” Lambert said.
Lambert said the survey’s findings will be presented to the state legislature at either an upcoming interim committee meeting or during next year’s legislative session.
The West Virginia Volunteer Firefighter Service Survey is available at https://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1AeQtWOWcATGVgO?Q_CHL=qr.