We learned in the Wednesday, July 10, issue of the Butler Eagle about the first fire cadet academy at Chicora Volunteer Fire Department, a new initiative that could help ensure volunteer fire departments stay viable.

This week, 10 youths between 14 and 18 are taking part in multiple training exercises at both Butler County Community College and the Chicora VFD. The program, funded by a $3,000 grant from BC3, is aimed at giving young people an introduction to what firefighters do.

“We’re covering everything from engine company, truck company operations; ropes; forcible entry; vehicle rescue; we’ll be doing pumping and stuff like that,” said Derek Thompson, emergency medical services and continuing education specialist at Butler County Community College. “We’re trying to hit small portions of all aspects of firefighting.”

That introduction is more important than ever. The National Volunteer Fire Council estimated than there were about 677,000 volunteer firefighters in the U.S. in 2020, down from nearly 900,000 in the 1980s.

And Pennsylvania is in the top five for volunteer firefighters nationwide, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. About 97% of firefighters statewide are volunteers, a figure beaten only by Delaware and South Dakota.

The participants can decide to do more than just the training, if they find they want to be firefighters. Seth Miller, ladder captain for Chicora Volunteer Fire Company, explained that several local departments are open to cadets starting at age 14.

“Starting at 14, you can join the fire departments here; all the chiefs pretty much come up with training ideas,” Miller said. “We have a cadet program we run between Chicora, Petrolia, Bruin and Sugarcreek fire departments, so all the juniors usually meet at one of the departments.”

Volunteer fire departments are essential to community safety, and to continue they need to recruit a new generation of firefighters. We hope programs like the one in Chicora help do just that.

— JK