LOWER MERION TWP., Pa. — In 1978, Charles “Chas” McGarvey joined the Lower Merion Township Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter. Back then, it was typical for only one company to handle a fire call.
Fast forward 43 years and McGarvey is now the new Pennsylvania state fire commissioner, after 15 years as chief of the suburban Philadelphia fire department. And now, when the department responds to house fires, they send out all of their seven companies.
The department does this now because the volunteer firefighting tradition is disappearing. In the 1970s, there were around 300,000 volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania. In 2018, there were just 38,000. The U.S. Fire Administration reports 96.8% of firehouses in Pennsylvania are completely or mostly volunteer, and 90% of LMFD’s 250 members are. That’s why this decline is so significant.
“When I first joined we had about 55 [active] firefighters in Bryn Mawr,” McGarvey said of one of the firehouses. “Now there’s probably 25.”
The fire service turns into a community for many. “I grew up around the firehouse,” said Tim Van Winkle, a volunteer firefighter for the department since 2003, and the assistant chief of the Merion Fire Company.
Lower Merion volunteer Brady McHale joined when he was 16. “I was intrigued by driving by the firehouse,” he said. “It [became] an extension of the family.” The problem is fire departments are having trouble expanding that family.
One of the reason is increased training requirements. Prerequisite coursework to achieve firefighter 1 certification lasts approximately 178 hours, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. Lower Merion Deputy Fire Marshal James “Jim” McCoy recalled when he joined in 1985 it took 32 hours.
“That’s a lot of time for an individual who works, who has a family,” said Lower Merion Commissioner Daniel Bernheim, who chairs the township’s fire committee.
Societal changes have also impacted the fire service. With two parents working, that means one can’t go out to a fire call while the other stays home. Employers also are giving less leniency to someone who needs to respond to calls. And college students who go off to school, and don’t return home, also add to the crunch.
Never mind the risk involved, which was highlighted by two tragic deaths for the Lower Merion department July. McCoy said the two deaths may have made some potential volunteers reconsider. “It’s a very dangerous job,” he added.
What’s happening in Harrisburg?At the statewide level, lawmakers in 2017 approved the creation of a commission that would investigate and generate recommendations to address the decline.
Some of the recommendations from that panel already have been adopted. They include making training more accessible for firefighters by adding online options, making it easier to recruit young volunteers and increasing financial incentives.
State Sen. Patrick J. Stefano, R-Fayette, chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee, said despite bipartisan consensus, passing these major changes take time.
And in the years since the Senate approved the study commission, COVID-19 has dominated legislation. “A lot of things we were hoping to get done got overshadowed,” said Rep. Chris Sainato, D-Lawrence, the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee.
The Senate resolution also had recommendations for municipalities, focusing on engagement and education. That’s the exact theme of LMFD’s comeback plan.
One of those strategies included an August 2019 advertisement for volunteers. One person in an ad says, “I think a lot of people don’t know that we’re just normal people, who have regular jobs and go to school.” The end of the commercial features the website joinlmfd.org. There, people find where their local company is and how to join.
This is all part of a branding process for the Lower Merion department, according to McHale, who sits on the recruitment and retention committee. Simple initiatives like putting banner advertisements up at the firehouses have yielded “unbelievable” results.
Van Winkle, also a member of the recruitment and retention committee, said they also hired a social media consultant to help.
“We got a significant amount of volunteers across the township as a result,” Van Winkle said of those efforts.
Still, despite the ad campaign, shortages remain. McGarvey said LMFD struggles to have the required number of firefighters at a scene. Departments must have four at a fire scene with two going into a home and two outside.
“Mergers I think are part of the future,” said McCoy. “If two companies who are close to each other are having difficulty, maybe merging gives you one stronger house.”
“If the reality is we’re unable to properly man fire companies with volunteer personnel, then we would have to look at having more career personnel,” said Bernheim. That comes with a cost, as the National Fire Protection Association estimates in 2014 alone volunteer firefighters saved governments $46.9 billion.
At the state level, discussions are ongoing about delegating more power over the fire service to counties. Stefano said it would help firehouses financially. But there is resistance. “You have some firefighter companies that are very good at fundraising and they want to control what they buy and do,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sainato is pushing for tax credits and college financial aid to attract and retain younger volunteers.
McGarvey believes a reassessment is needed. “Are we doing what’s best?” he asked, adding there will be consequences “if we don’t look to change the way we are currently doing things.”
But for current volunteers, even with dwindling numbers, strong passion remains for the work. “We get to do some really cool things,” McHale said. “The volunteer fire service has given me so much. I feel I owe it to them, and I am not alone.”