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America is experiencing staffing shortages at fire departments across the country, putting the safety of communities and firefighters at risk.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, career firefighter Jason Cerrano, based in St. Louis, Missouri, shared just how understaffed the industry is.
According to data from IDEX Fire and Safety, where Cerrano is a director for research and development, there has been a “huge shift” in the fire service.
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When Cerrano started in 1999, departments were “pretty loaded up,” sometimes to the point where there weren’t volunteer positions available. There was also a “huge influx” following 9/11, he said.
Although the fire service has “always been amazing” at community outreach through efforts like fire prevention programs, Cerrano suggested that recruiting is one thing departments never had to do.
Over the last two decades, departments have seen a “steady decline” in volunteers, down from about 900,000 to 700,000, according to Cerrano.
Meanwhile, career firefighting (full-time, paid fire departments) has only seen about 30,000 to 40,000 more jobs added in those two decades. Over that same period, call volumes have tripled.
First responders at risk
Fewer firefighters on the ground automatically increases the risk when responding to a fire, according to Cerrano.
“The fire ground is random; things happen, whether it’s a fire or a car accident or something else – it’s an unstable environment, or we wouldn’t be there,” he said.
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“Every time … there’s something you can’t imagine that throws a wrench in it, so the more people you have who can evaluate those things and see something coming at you from the side, that’s the most important thing.”
The fire service has already made internal improvements to ensure the health of firefighters, including calmer wake-ups, initiatives to keep gear clean, and increased awareness around cancer prevention and environmental risk factors, Cerrano noted.
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“The fire service is at risk in so many different ways, and people need to understand that the more people out there, the safer,” he said, emphasizing the need for technology that can help firefighters do their jobs in a “steady, consistent manner.”
Why numbers are low
Most people consider career departments (full-time firefighting) as a steadier job, but any kind of firefighting is a “good career” with “good benefits,” according to Cerrano.
Especially with Gen Z entering the workforce, this younger generation of workers is looking for more in return from their day-to-day jobs than previous employees, he noted.
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“The fire service, if you think about it culturally, you were lucky to be there,” the firefighter told Fox News Digital. “The more experienced people treated you that way … You can’t just come into the fire services and be a hero day one. [You] have to be treated like rookies.”
“Sometimes that feels like you’re being kept down,” he went on. “We just have to remember when these new recruits are coming in, we have to make sure they always feel like they have purpose, or that generation will leave. And frankly, I wouldn’t blame them for it.”
While the fire service is “great at being traditional,” Cerrano suggested that it could “step up” its involvement with emerging technology, as branches of the military have.
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“We need to celebrate our tradition and use it in our work habits and our environments around the engine houses,” he said. “But I think when it comes to our tools and the way we do things, we have to start moving forward if we’re going to bring in those new recruits and retain them.”
Qualities of a great recruit
While potential new firefighters do need to be qualified for the job, it doesn’t require being a “straight A student” to get through the training and education, according to Cerrano.
It does, however, require a willingness to get dirty, wake up in the middle of the night and handle yourself in emotional circumstances, he said.
“A lot of people don’t want to go out and take risks or be in situations that can sometimes be hard to deal with,” he said. “But that risk versus reward, or that risk versus the emotional toll that it can take, gives you a really big sense of purpose, because you spend your whole life helping people.”
Cerrano pointed out that many volunteer firefighters don’t see the “fire ground,” instead fulfilling crucial tasks at the fire house.
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“You can do a lot in your community without having to go in and take all the risks,” he added.
“It’s important that, as a country, we’re helping this volunteer fire service get it figured out. It’s a huge issue for everybody from a safety standpoint.”
