Question re: volunteer fire departments

[sbj405]

Where I live we have county firefighters and we also have a volunteer fire company. The stations are located about a mile apart. Why? Is this because the county coverage is not sufficient or some other reason? And what if the volunteers failed to secure enough funds to continue operating?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. depends on your area

could be that they feel it gives better coverage of the area where you live. Or it is easier to maintain one truck per firehouse by the people living near it. I know I live outside the run of the volunteer fire department, and so will be out of luck if my house burns down.

[unblock]

2. you're asking several questions

first, the location of public services such as fire squads and emt squads are determined by municipal officials trying provide efficient coverage while also managing costs. note that such decisions might have been etched in stone quite a few years ago, and population and construction might have shifted quite a bit since then, leaving the coverage less than optimal.

second, some communities have all paid squads, all volunteer squads, or a mix. it all depends on how much the municipality can support or is willing to provide (read: tolerance for property taxes).

third, if a volunteer squad runs into financial trouble, they have to cut back services and/or plead to the municipality for increased support (municipalities often provide either a base or matching level of support, though never enough to sustain a squad without donations.) in the worst case, volunteer squads can and do shut down. often this leads to a new paid squad and a tax hike, though sadly this often requires a disaster to wake the public up.

[sbj405]

5. thanks. we've had a few large fires in the area recently

from what I've read the response was a combined effort.

[happyslug]

3. Politics can be a factor

Like Churches, Volunteer Fire Companies may be how people in the community get together to plan things. I have seen many things in various local communities that came out of the Volunteer Fire Department that had Nothing to do with fire, but has something to do with improving the Community (and the same with Churches).

Given this situation people are often reluctant to give up on a Volunteer Fire Department even as it is replaced by professional full time fire departments. Often these Volunteer are keep on for decades after a professional Fire Department is adopted (For Example the Pittsburgh Suburb of Mt Lebanon has both professional and Volunteer Fire Companies, often in the same buildings, with the Volunteer company being the back up to the Professional Company, been that way for Decades).

Remember often the people who volunteer for Volunteer Fire Departments are often the same people who volunteer and lead the local community in various local activities. Being they are already members of the Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), the VFD hall becomes a sort of community meeting place where people go to organize things. Given that POLITICAL fact, people are reluctant to give up on a VFD just because it has been replaced by a Professional Fire Department.

I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, one of the characteristics of a community with growth is a Volunteer Fire Department, not because it put out fires, but it was the place to go to get volunteers. On the other hand I saw many a old town without a VFD that was dead. It may have a Professional fire department but the town had no life. Often this was deliberate, for if you studied the history of Western Pennsylvania you will find out that most of the early VFD members also tend to volunteer for other things for the Community including Unionization of the Coal and Steel Industries. Big Coal and Iron decided that a "Professional" Fire Department was better for it was under Big Coal and Iron's pay AND the Volunteers (and their potential support for Labor) gone. Big Coal and Iron hated people who would help their community, for such types also were the ones to start and form unions. I point this out to again show you the POLITICAL side of any organization including your local Church and your local VFD.

[sbj405]

4. Thanks for the info.

I noticed in their mailing they have a ladies auxiliary. I imagine that's the community based/volunteer aspect of it.

Sounds like there is quite a history in these organizations. I just looked it up and this one was formed in 1924. I imagine at that time my city (inside the beltway 10 miles from DC) was probably considered rural.