I have heard and read recent comments regarding the proposed Vo-Tech School class for emergency services training and am deeply saddened that there are still those out there that so readily condemn what we do and are trying to do. While I don’t think they are stupid or idiots, I do believe they are either uninformed or misinformed.
In the early 1980’s, there were over 300,000 volunteer firefighters in Pa. That number is now around 50,000. The average age of a firefighter in our area is now 56, with a good number of responders over the age of 70. This is the reality for most areas of who is available to come to your worst day. Volunteerism in our area is dying for a number of reasons, but those reasons are a topic for another day. This proposed program is just one idea to help combat our declining numbers. The Potter County Emergency Services Council, comprised of all the fire and EMS companies in our county, started looking into ways to help recruit newer and younger members back in 2015. This program addresses not only firefighting, but also emergency medicine and some law enforcement and security. This is meant to be a supplement to our existing Jr. Firefighter programs and not a replacement. As a Jr. member, they are limited as to the amount of hours they can contribute to training, responding, and general help around the stations. Every training class they attend (and there are a lot) after school hours counts towards that limit. If that training was conducted at this school program, not only are they getting consistent training through an approved program, but those hours do not count against them towards their limit. That leaves more hours available for the student to help out at the station, respond to calls for added experience, or to pursue activities such as sports or other interests. It also doesn’t overload them and wear them out. I realize this program isn’t for everyone. It isn’t meant to be. It is meant to provide around 45 students total from 3 counties the opportunity to give something of themselves back to their community. 45 students who want to learn how to help their fellow man. 45 students who want to do what most people couldn’t fathom doing.
The financial support requested from the area municipalities does not and will not take from what they already provide to each department as required by law. Some municipalities have agreed to $500.00 while others are able to help out with $2,000.00. That’s less than $1.00 per year per citizen to be able to have more people ready and trained to answer their emergency. I feel this is a small price to pay to help get this program up and running considering the return. Municipalities are requires by law to provide emergency services for their citizens. They can charge up to 3 mils to give to the Fire Depts. without having to go to a referendum vote. Most that I know of are charging 1.5 mils or less. A study done in Potter County less than 20 years ago showed that if the volunteers continued to decline to the point of having to have paid services in our county, the cost would be over $1,000,000.00 annually back then. That amount of money would give you 2 paid departments, one in Coudersport and one in Galeton. The rest of the county would just wait for them to arrive. Your homeowners insurance would go to the maximum as you would then be in a Class 10 ISO rating, instead of the Class 5 or 6 for the towns and Class 9 rural areas now have. That $1.00 a year is looking pretty cheap now. If a program like this enables 1 life to be saved or 1 house to be saved , isn’t it worth it? Before you answer that, replace that number 1 with the word “my”.
You see, our training is the exact same training required to be a paid firefighter/EMT in larger cities. Our equipment costs the same as bigger cities. Our fires burn just as hot (maybe hotter due to the advanced stage of the fire because of the time requires to get there). Our patients have the same medical problems (but we sometimes have to treat them for over an hour because of the distance to the nearest hospital). The one glaring difference is this: we volunteer to put our lives on hold, put our health at risk, and take time from our loved ones to take care of your loved ones when you most need it.
Please take the time to go to these meetings, ask questions, become informed. When you’re done, stop by your local fire or ambulance building and pick up an application.
