Trying to recruit more volunteers into firefighting. Many departments all across Connecticut are feeling the crunch, facing a shortage of firefighters.
Trying to recruit more volunteers into firefighting. Many departments all across Connecticut are feeling the crunch, facing a shortage of firefighters.
When you come to the Riverton Fair, there’s plenty of people around, making it fertile ground. The volunteer fire department is trying to recruit new members, which they have a critical need for.
“This is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. We have the food booth and take donations across the street for parking,” Lt. Tyler O’Neil of the Riverton Fire Department tells us.
Their booth at the Riverton fair is a draw for visitors as volunteer firefighters meet their neighbors and potentially recruit new members.
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“It’s a great way to know that we have volunteers out here in the community and we’re just members of the community as well as everybody else,” explained O’Neil.
Getting people to apply is a critical need for the department.
“In my fifty-plus years in the fire service, I’ve seen the number of volunteers drop significantly,” said Riverton Fire Chief Norman Bird.
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Chief Bird says the shortage is a significant issue across many departments in Connecticut with a major reason being people unsure they can make the commitment.
Lt. Tyler O’Neil says they accept people with all different skills with not all position requiring frontline firefighting.
“We have positions available for people who want to be outside support. We have fire-police, which are people to direct traffic and protect the scene for us,” Chief Bird noted.
Chief Bird says volunteer firefighters are a key backbone for Connecticut’s public safety, especially in rural areas, as they make up about eighty percent of fire crews across the state.
“Small towns can’t afford to have career departments, so they’ve played a significant role for decades across the state,” Chief Bird said.
O’Neil says, ultimately, it’s all about giving back to the community.
“I find it very rewarding on a moral basis as in i helped somebody. I get to have that feel good thing,” O’Neil added.
The booth will continue through Sunday on the last day of the Riverton Fair.
