As the Centre Region grows, fire companies are struggling to find new volunteers to protect people during fire emergencies.
The Centre Region Council of Governments, which has not updated its Regional Fire Protection Program since 2005, is looking to use an outside consulting agency to prepare an organizational model for the future of fire protection services in the ever growing and changing area. The hope is that the consultant can evaluate whether it is feasible to continue to rely primarily on volunteers in the future.
The CRCOG Public Safety Committee has been monitoring the ongoing volunteer crisis for fire departments around the state and how it is affecting the Centre Region. The committee feels that an increasing and changing population, along with the large amount of new buildings that have been constructed in the area, has put significant pressure on the mostly volunteer-based fire protection program and, now, it’s looking outward to find a solution.
Steve Lyncha, CRCOG public safety chair, presented the recommendation to the COG General Forum on March 26 and the group established a steering committee. An analysis of the current program suggests that the current staffing model will become an even bigger problem in the future.
“If you are aware, we are having a harder time finding volunteer firefighters, and at the same time our region continues to grow. The expansion and nature of the buildings that were constructed continues to make things a little more difficult for the fire protection program,” said Lyncha.
Last year, the Alpha Fire Department responded to 1,308 calls and volunteers put in 11,096 hours on the scene, according to CRCOG Fire Director Steve Bair. It was the busiest department in the region. The Regional Fire Protection Program would affect primarily the Alpha Fire Company, but its ramifications could be felt by other fire companies and departments in the area.
The Public Safety Committee believes it would be prudent to engage a consultant with experience in fire protection services models to conduct an evaluation of the COG’s fire protection program and propose a future organizational model for the regional program that safeguards the community and maintains the same standard of care while remaining affordable. This proposed model would identify the steps for long-term transition to a model that recognizes changing demographics, the future viability of relying primarily on volunteers and community growth.
Bair said he has been speaking about adding more career firefighters to the region since 2014 and he believes the time to act is now. He said while the Centre Region is lucky to have remained flat with volunteers currently, the age of many firefighters is becoming higher as baby boomers like him are starting to retire. He also said most of the population growth in the area comes from students and retirees who are not likely to become volunteer firefighters.
Currently, about 4 percent of the fire-fighting force are career firefighters, Bair said. The four career firefighters, and one office personal, are employed by the Centre Region Council of Governments while Alpha is a volunteer fire company that is utilized by the region.
Bair said he thinks it would be best if they could potentially start hiring clumps of two to five career firefighters by the year 2023. He feels that it would take 18 full-time career firefighters to manage the 24-7 job of firefighting in the region, and thinks that it will eventually get to the point where that is what will happen. He said he doesn’t have an idea of when that might be.
Bair is 60-years-old and said he may retire in the next couple years. He is pushing to see a plan in place before he calls it quits. He said he believes this is the way the Centre Region should plan to start phasing in career firefighters, but he thinks it is wise to have an outside assessment and plan be conducted so that all the bases are covered.
“I don’t think I am wrong, but it is always good to get an outside opinion,” said Bair.
Duties of the steering committee may include, but are not limited to, drafting a request for proposals to conduct the study, interviewing potential consulting firms and preparing a recommendation for the award of a contract to the General Forum, reviewing and providing information as requested by the consultant and reviewing the draft report prior to its submission to the General Forum.
The committee will consist of an elected official from each of the participating municipalities — State College Borough, Patton Township and College Township. Halfmoon and Harris townships have their own fire departments, but Alpha does respond to those areas at times, so the committee will have to decide on whether it would like to be involved in the process. The committee will include representative from Penn State, one municipal manager, a police chief, two representatives from Alpha Fire Company, the fire director, assistant fire and assistant fire chief.
LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS
Currently the fire company is launching a long-term member recruitment campaign that combines digital marketing with a compelling array of video, radio and TV commercial advertising designed to spark immediate and long-term interest in the 119-year-old fire company.
“The volunteer is the backbone of the Alpha Fire Company and a steady stream of volunteers is essential to long term viability,” said Bair. “The only people who can come to the rescue here are everyday community members who give us a try. Our campaign compels you to do just that.”
The campaign is funded through a federal grant to attract volunteers and will run at least three times a year for the next two years during Alpha Fire Company recruitment cycles.
“Click, call or stop by the station. For years we’ve been saying that the only way you’ll know if it’s right for you is if you get to know us,” said Fire Chief Shawn Kaufmann. “Our campaign helps you do that, but you’ve got to see for yourself.”
A powerful recruitment message anchors each campaign piece. The effort combines 15- and 30-second television commercials, 60-second radio commercials, interactive advertising and social media-based video teasers that drive audiences to a compelling 3-minute web movie that demonstrates what it takes to be an Alpha Fire Volunteer.
View the campaign materials and registration information on becoming a volunteer at www.alphafire.com/join-alpha/.
