According to the Ohio Fire Marshal's office, the majority of fire departments in Ohio are staffed by volunteers.
Firefighter gear hanging in lockers inside a fire station. The Ohio Fire Marshal's office says the majority of fire departments in Ohio are staffed by volunteers, but the number of volunteer firefighters is going down, leaving several communities at risk. May 6, 2024 , the majority of fire departments in Ohio are staffed by volunteers, and the average age of these volunteers is 54 years old. Newton Township Fire Chief Brandon Turner has been a firefighter for 19 years.
Newton Township Fire now has a roster of 31 part-time firefighters and medics, some of whom are volunteers.It's a similar situation about 15 minutes away in the Homer Fire District, also in Licking County. "Those days are gone. We had a lot of farmers out in the fields. Those days are long gone now. People don’t have time to volunteer and the time commitment is huge.""There’s a lot of training," he said. "It used to be a 36 hour card that happened over a weekend, and now it’s 120 plus hours to get going."
"All of our training here at the Ohio Fire Academy is free for volunteers," he said. "That means no books, no dorm fees, no training fees. They can come here for free."
Volunteer Firefighters Community Safety Fire Departments Newton Township Fire Brandon Turner Volunteers Licking County
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