Local Volunteer Fire Companies Struggle to Recruit, Fundraise as Pandemic Rages On

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not just schools, restaurants, bars, and retail establishments that are scrambling to survive.

Add to the list the local volunteer fire companies, whose members are doing all they can to recruit and retain volunteers. While these companies are dedicated to keeping people safe from emergencies out in the community, they are also dedicated to keeping their members safe and keeping their funds plentiful during an emergency of our times.

For Fairmount Fire Company in Lansdale, the greatest effect of the pandemic is the loss of two of its three major fundraisers.

“In a calendar year, we normally run three fundraisers. The first being our annual ‘Under the Lights Car Show,’ the second being our annual golf outing and third being our mail-out,” said Fairmount Fire Company Assistant Chief R.J. Snyder. “Because of COVID-19, we have been forced to cancel the car show and our golf outing for 2020.”

Around this time of year, drivers around Montgomery Mall are familiar with seeing Fire Department of Montgomery Township members holding out buckets for donations, as part of FDMT’s annual coin toss donation effort.

While that effort is still on the agenda, Montgomery Township Director of Fire Services Bill Wiegman said the department wants to be empathetic and understanding of the needs and safety of the community at-large. The department had to cancel several other annual fundraising efforts, including its summer car wash and it’s dine-and-donate events.

“The members of the department are facing the same issues as the community that we serve,” Wiegman said. “We are very fortunate that Montgomery Township supports the operations of the fire department.”

Wiegman said they are moving forward with its annual residential and business fundraising mailers and are braced for the response to be far less than in years’ past.

“We continue to apply for grants at the local, state, and federal levels. We utilize our fundraising efforts as recruitment opportunities as well. So, exposure through fundraising efforts will hopefully prove fruitful for the department’s membership,” he said.

Colmar Volunteer Fire Company Chief Andrew Backlund said there has been a struggle to have productive fundraising efforts. All of their events were canceled, leaving a big hole in their funds. So, they got creative, offering a pie sale for Thanksgiving, a Christmas wreath sale and a night out event at The Metropolitan Diner, which will now be take-out only. It is also hoping its current SE Bike raffle will be a success, leading to more items to raffle off in the future.

“We are proud to announce that the fire company did apply and receive a grant from the state to help offset our losses from having to limit our fundraising efforts, which will go a long way in recuperating losses in revenue and covering unbudgeted purchases, such as masks and sanitizing supplies to keep our members safe,” Backlund said.

Whether it is due to quarantining or perhaps a fear of safety, all three departments had seen a slowdown, if not a full stop, to recruitment of volunteer firefighters.

It is difficult to recruit new volunteers in general, and now fire companies face the challenge of recruiting during the pandemic.

“There was a slowdown, if not a complete stop, to people’s interest in volunteering for the department,” Snyder said. “Since early summer, the interest level seems to have returned and we are getting people putting in applications again.”

Wiegman said FDMT closed to the public from March to July, so new members were not applying, and the membership committee was not conducting interviews with potential new members. This hesitation in volunteerism affected fire police officers as well.

“The thought of putting yourself and your loved ones at risk of contracting the virus while volunteering may have had an adverse effect on our recruitment efforts,” Wiegman said. “We have brought some new members in during the summer months. However, these new members have prior firefighting experience.”

Wiegman is grateful to have a great group of career and volunteer staff.

“We are always looking for more volunteers to help as firefighters, fire police officers, and administrative members. The FDMT is working on revamping its recruitment efforts, and we are waiting to hear about the reception of a SAFER grant from the federal government to assist with recruitment and retention.”

Backlund said Colmar Volunteer Fire Company has been very active in recruiting new members over the last few years, and they are offering many incentives for new members, including free physicals, a pay-per-call and training incentive, free training, and new gear.

“During the pandemic, we have been blessed with several new members joining in the last few months, and look forward to continuing that trend,” Backlund said.

It was not just recruitment that slowed down at the beginning of the pandemic. FDMT had fewer incidents than usual in the spring; there were less than the average 50 calls a month in March, April, and May. However, the summer months became the busiest for FDMT, and their calls were above average from June to August. 

Fairmount Fire Company also went into lockdown in March and experienced a sharp drop in the volume of incident calls. Snyder said it was something other fire companies across the county were noticing as well.

“Since June, when everything started to return a little more to normal, we have been back to our normal call volume,” Snyder said.

Things have actually gotten better for Colmar Volunteer Fire Company, in terms of assistance calls. While March and April were slow, Backlund said there has been a rise in calls and Colmar is now sitting above average, if not higher, in incident calls, as compared to the past five years.

“With that being said,” Backlund said, “the volunteers of Colmar VFC are always ready to respond to any emergency or call for service, without any interruption to the service the Hatfield Township residents are accustomed to.”

Retention of career and volunteer firefighters also proved challenging for all three departments. FDMT, Colmar, and Fairmount immediately ensured personnel were protected and safe as they continued to fulfill their missions of fire and rescue services.

“In the beginning, there was not a great amount of information or direction on how first responders should operate during a pandemic,” Wiegman said. “We had to stay fluid in our response, and continually update and revise our operational plans and protocols.”

At FDMT, a lot of time was dedicated to acquiring Personal Protective Equipment and disinfecting agents, educating and training staff in COVID-19 safety protocols, researching best practices, learning about the virus, and creating and revising protocols and policies to limit and mitigate exposure.

“We created staffing management plans for both the career and volunteer staffs, in order to limit contact between us, so that we would still be able to function in the event of an exposure or a COVID-19 positive member,” Wiegman said. “The fire department’s objective was to stay safe and stay operational. It was tough.”

Colmar Volunteer Fire Company had to change everything in the way it operates, since the pandemic arrived. Response procedures, Backlund said, now limit the number of people on the apparatuses, in the station, and around the general public. New PPE had to be purchased, which included N95 masks, P100 masks, eye protection, and medical-grade gloves. It also stocked up on sanitizing equipment to protect its members.

“A majority of our training nights have had to move to Zoom, our business meetings have moved to Zoom, and we have had to limit the station to members only,” Backlund said. “All in an effort to reduce the risk to our members, so we can continue to offer the same services we have always offered.”

Snyder said they were not sure what to expect at the time.

“Our fire company’s leadership was briefed on the latest information. We put a plan in place to protect our firefighters, as well as the public, while maintaining the level of service that the community expected,” Snyder said. “This plan included procedures for disinfecting our equipment after a call, as well as use of personal face masks while in the station or on a call.”

During times of need, Wiegman said, it is common for firefighters and fire police officers to come together and support one another.

“Camaraderie is essential,” he said. “We were mandating limited contact between the staff at a time when we all should have been rallying around each other for support and comfort.”

Thus, FDMT saw firehouse staffed with essential and on-duty members only. There were no more fire inspections. There were no smoke alarm installations. There were no community outreach initiatives. Trainings and meetings were now virtual.

“The members did a great job of responding to incidents while ensure the safety of themselves and their colleagues.  The officers of the department did an excellent job assisting in the creation of policies and enforcing these policies, in order to sustain departmental operations,” Wiegman said. “The fire service relies so heavily on assistance from mutual aid partnerships; however, in times of large or extended incidents, you realize that you may be on your own.  This was the case during the pandemic.”

Fairmount had to break its members down into platoons, and they were assigned even and odd days.

“We had this plan in effect for about two months at the beginning of the pandemic. Currently, it is not in effect, but the groundwork is set, if there would be a need to return,” Snyder said.

Depending on what platoon a member was on, he or she would respond to calls only if it were his or her day or night to respond, Snyder said. If a platoon became sick and was no longer able to respond to a call safely, then available members would fill in and maintain service.

In an effort to be safe, safety was taking a hit elsewhere.

“We were all worried about bringing the virus home and exposing our family,” Wiegman said. “It was hard on the staff trying to balance home life and home-schooling while coming to work and responding to incidents as essential employees.”

Yet, the volunteer and career staff succeeded in an amazing effort to keep the department safe and operational, he said.

“I could not be prouder of our membership,” Wiegman said.

The pandemic continues, and, as such, the fire departments continue to move forward, all the while being mindful of safety protocols and completing their missions. 

Colmar, Backlund said, is doing everything it can to keep members, their families and the community it serves as safe as possible. The company is most looking forward to its new station, coming in 2021.

“We are always looking to evolve and grow to better serve the community,” he said. “We are proud to remain 100 percent volunteer and are always looking for new members, firefighters, fire police and administrative members.”

Wiegman said it was great to see how everyone worked together as a township to ensure it was keeping its personnel and staff safe and operational.

“All township entities were working together as a team: From the fire department, to police, the VMSC of Lansdale, public works, codes department, and township administration were working hand-in-hand, helping each other through the pandemic.”

See also:

Fire Department Of Montgomery Township To Host Drive Through Fire Prevention Event Next Week

Photos: Services Held for Colmar Firefighter Who Died in Line of Duty

Colmar Fire Company Announces Death Of Firefighter Edward ‘Gary’ Minnick

Flags Lowered To Half-Staff As Fairmount Fire Company Mourns Loss Of Two Longtime Members

Fairmount Fire Company Seeks to Recruit Daytime Volunteers

Towamencin Fire Company Honors The Passing Of Former Chief ‘Butch’ Clemens

Fairmount Fire Co. ‘Under The Lights’ Car Show Postponed As Officials Explore Options