Small towns in N.J. feeling the crunch of nationwide volunteer firefighter shortage
Fire departments across the country are sounding the alarm — not over flames, but over a shortage of volunteer firefighters. It's a nationwide problem.
According to the United States Fire Administration, in the last 40 years, the number of volunteers across the country has dropped from 897,000 to 676,000.
In New Jersey, volunteers say the firefighter shortage is putting pressure on small towns that rely on them the most.
Volunteer firefighter shortage strains resources
The Kingston Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 has been protecting South Brunswick for 100 years.
Lt. Cheng-Yu Lee has been volunteering with the company for about eight years.
"To save someone from those situations is just so rewarding," he said.
When he's not responding to calls or working his fulltime job in marketing, Lee works with junior firefighters, training the next generation of first responders.
"I wish I knew what volunteer firefighting was when I was much younger. And I would've been doing this," he said.
But fire departments like Lee's are struggling to recruit. Kingston Fire Company No. 1 Chief Chris Ciabattone says that strains resources during emergencies.
"In a perfect world, we'd roll a few pieces of apparatus ... for each call. But sometimes we don't have that luxury, so in certain cases, we have to call for additional resources or additional help from neighboring towns," he said.
Training could be condensed, task force recommends
When fewer people volunteer, some towns are forced to hire paid firefighters at the expense of taxpayers.
"Volunteers are getting scarce because of work obligations, family obligations, the training obligations," Ocean County Chief Fire Marshal Dennis Allen said.
Allen says firefighters, paid or not, have to complete hundreds of hours of training — a lot to ask of a volunteer.
A New Jersey task force on volunteer retention and recruitment released a report in 2023 which recommended that the training for volunteers be provided in a condensed version. That, they say, would attract more volunteers.
"You always have to stay fresh on the training. Could they scale back a little bit of the training? I believe so," Allen said.
Back in South Brunswick, Lee hopes more people sign up to serve their communities.
"I not only dedicate myself to being a firefighter, I'm dedicating myself to South Brunswick firefighter. Because I'm going to live here until the day I die," he said.