BLADENSBURG — The Bladensburg Fire District is looking for anyone who is self-motivated, hardworking, energetic, compassionate and good in a crisis.
A shortage of volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel has prompted Assistant Fire Chief Nick Cockrell and EMS Coordinator/Fire Capt. Kyle Ogilbee to begin a sign campaign throughout Jackson and Clay townships, including Bladensburg and Martinsburg, to develop an interest in volunteering for the department.
The volunteer department has two stations and several pieces of equipment, and operates on a budget of $146,000 a year. Each piece of equipment must be maintained for several years, in order to stretch that budget.
Firefighters are restoring and repairing a 1974 engine, to customize it to their needs. The department’s first out truck is a 2002 engine, and older pieces of apparatus are cared for regularly, to make sure they are always in good repair for an emergency.
Cockrell said the lack of volunteers willing and able to make runs with the department is the real concern.
“We only have two [para]medics right now, and both medics aren’t available during the day because of work duties,” he explained.
Thirteen EMTs also volunteer, but Ogilbee said the department, which had 205 squad runs last year, needs more medics and EMTs to ensure coverage, especially during the day.
Kyle’s wife, Angie, who is an advanced EMT, said that caring for her two small children during the day often keeps her from being able to respond to daytime calls.
“It’s hard to hear runs go unanswered, when I’m home,” she said.
Fire Chief Bob Beach said he believes the shortage of volunteers is a sign of the times.
“A lot of it is due to a lack of time because of family activities,” Beach said. “The time commitment to training time, and time constraints make it hard for some people. It does require a lot of time.”
Fire Board member Keith Glancy said he thinks many young people lack the interest in their community to step up and make a difference.
“We had no trouble finding volunteers when we started this department,” he said of the department’s beginning about 40 years ago. “But too many young kids have been sitting in front of the TV for too long. There’s not as much community spirit. We’d sure like to have enough people from the community to protect the community.”
The volunteer shortage is not unique to the Bladensburg department. According to the National Fire Protection Association, the number of volunteers is down at fire departments across the country. Ohio is a state that has been hard hit by that shortage in recent years, and it is especially apparent during daytime hours.
“Everybody’s got other schedules, some guys are working two jobs,” explained firefighter Danny Brocheus, who has been with the department for 15 years.
“It’s changed a lot in the 15 years I’ve been here,” said Ogilbee. “The time that you have to put into it, and the level of quality that you’re held to anymore; it’s not a club or a party. It’s a second job that you do that you don’t get paid for.
But, he added, “The job we’re asking for is a very self-rewarding job. The occasional thank you is worth it’s weight in gold.”
“When you get somebody to the hospital, and you know you saved their life, that’s pretty neat,” said Glancy, who left the department as a firefighter in 1990.
Martinsburg Mayor J.R. St. Clair, who is president of the fire board, said the community values the dedicated volunteers who keep the department running.
“I’ve always felt that volunteer fire and rescue personnel are the greatest heroes in the world,” he said. “There are none better. They don’t have to risk their lives, but they’re willing to do it. And these guys don’t get paid.”
“We do it for the love of it, not the money,” said Cockrell, who works as a career fireman for the Mount Vernon Fire Department.
Firefighter Fred Summerfield, who at 68 years old has been with the department over 29 years, said one of the reasons he continues to volunteer traces back to an experience in 1949.
“Our house burnt clear to the ground when I was 9 years old, and we had nothing but the clothes on our back,” he explained. “So I always remember what people go through after a fire.”
Two teenagers work with the department as junior firefighters. Ogilbee said that while the two young men are not yet old enough to obtain their fire cards and fight actual fires, they are gaining invaluable experience for when they are able to work as firefighters in a few years.
Cockrell and Ogilbee said they encourage anyone with an interest in serving the community on the department to contact them to ask questions, or begin the application process.
“It’s really not a difficult process,” Cockrell explained of the application procedures. Applicants must be 18 and a high school graduate, and live within or close enough to the fire district that they are able to respond to emergencies in a reasonable amount of time. The department sponsors the training of those joining the department.
“You have to really want to do it,” Beach said. “People with a genuine interest who are willing to make the commitment should definitely apply.”
The firefighters said they wanted prospective volunteers to know the job is not easy, and does require sacrifice, but the satisfaction of knowing you are providing help to your neighbor in a time of crisis makes it worth it.
