3 local fire departments participate in campaign to recruit volunteer firefighters
The International Association of Fire Chiefs is launching its “A Hustle Worth Having” campaign, which is aimed at convincing younger generations to become volunteer firefighters.
Three volunteer fire departments in Butler County — Cranberry Township, Harmony and Adams Area — have collaborated with the IAFC on the campaign, which was filmed and shot at the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company’s main station on Route 19 in December 2025.
In a promotional video which appears on the campaign’s homepage, Cranberry Township firefighters Owen Aslin and Jocelyn Lemay, as well as Carly Pelletier of Harmony Fire District and Michael McGahan of Adams Area Fire District, make on-camera appearances, mentioning how they work as volunteer firefighters in addition to their full-time jobs.
According to Cranberry Township Fire Chief Scott Garing, the IAFC saw the Cranberry department as a natural fit for its campaign for multiple reasons.
“We were selected by the committee reps at the IAFC due to having the people and firefighters that fit the group they were looking for,” Garing said. “We also had the facilities to film the commercial. But mostly it was about having the people with the story they wanted to tell.”
The campaign is funded through a Federal Emergency Management Agency Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant.
