The Harmony Fire District discussed plans last week for a new building to address an immediate issue for its emergency volunteers — a lack of space.

But in the process, the district could also address a major statewide problem — attracting new volunteer firefighters at a time when recruitment has seen dangerous all-time lows.

We hope the district’s plan — which has been in the works for five years — gets off the ground soon, so its volunteers have additional space for operations, but also to draw new volunteers to serve the communities of Harmony, Zelienople, Jackson and Lancaster

President Tim Sapienza said the district’s building is too small, and a move will soon be necessary.

While a new building would provide more space for equipment, it would also allow the district to maintain overnight staffing, which Sapienza said could lead to even better coverage for its communities.

The fire district has about 50 active staff members and 30 who are very active.

Providing space for overnight staff could attract new volunteers and make it easier to respond to the district’s large coverage area.

The Adams Area Fire District built a new station several years ago to make its operations more state-of-the-art and provide faster response times.

We believe Harmony’s new station could do the same, and hope it will attract more volunteers.

It couldn’t come at a better time.

In recent years, county fire chiefs have said the biggest issue they face is a decline in volunteers.

Ninety-six percent of state firefighters are volunteers, but studies have found the number of volunteers has dropped from 300,000 in the 1970s to 40,000.

For many fire districts, paid staffing is not possible — so, less volunteers means slower response times and less manpower.

Recent bills in the state Legislature — including one to extend a grant program that could allow for recruitment and retention — have attempted to address the problem. Every little bit helps.

Local leaders say they hope to support the Harmony Fire District’s relocation plans during the 2021 budgeting process. The fire district has proposed raising the fire tax to 3 mills — municipalities covered by the district pay 1.5 to 2 mills — to enable the plans to proceed.

Nobody likes paying more — and council members, while supportive, say they’ll debate the request during the budget season — but improving the safety of one’s community is a good investment that should be thoughtfully considered.

— NCD