There’s a burning need for more volunteer firefighters across the nation, but locally, the nearly 45 active members of the Ballston Lake Fire Department (BLFD) are working to promote the long-standing tradition of recruiting their children to step into their boots as the next generation of volunteers.
Through the Young Adult Volunteers Apprentice Program (YAVAP), teens 16-18 years old can begin training and go through much of the instruction received by the adults. They operate under some restrictions, such as being barred from entering burning structures, performing roof ventilation operations, or driving fire trucks.
Five Burnt Hill-Ballston Lake High School students, who are the sons and daughters of active volunteers were recently welcomed into the extended family of the BLFD.
The young adult volunteers are Brian Little, who joins his father, David; Eli Willig, joining his father, Paul; Constance Waugh, joining mother, Susanna Newton; David Wood, joining J.D.; and Tyler Farrar, joining Doug.
A mother-daughter team
Susanna Newton and daughter Constance Waugh, 17, a senior at the BH-BL High School, joined the ranks of the BLFD together about a year ago.
Although they are not the first female volunteers, they are the first mother-daughter team.
We wanted to give back to the community, and this was what we chose, said Newton. `As soon as my mother said she was joining, I immediately said I’d join, too,` said Waugh.
Both petite women, they said it has been an ongoing physical challenge to carry 70-pound packs and handle heavy hoses, but they’re up to that challenge.
`The air packs are heavy, and the breathing apparatus takes a long time to get used to, but we’ve learned to go through walls and access buildings with the hose, and we’re going to soon go into practice fires,` said Waugh. `That’s when it really gets interesting.`
The women both put aside the notion that they are any stronger than the average person.
`We’re no braver than most people,` said Newton. `If my house was burning down, I’d rely on others. It’s our instinct to go in and help other people.`
`It is scary. But saving someone is just necessary; we have to trust our training and equipment,` said Waugh.
Both mother and daughter admitted they worry more about the other than themselves in an emergency situation. But every week, they put aside those worries and put in the time for weekly training and drills.
`It’s a huge time commitment,` said Newton. `But it’s been an incredible bonding experience for us.`
Increasing training demands
BLFD members face stiff requirements for early and ongoing training, including weekly drills, fire truck and firefighting equipment inspections and maintenance, and renewing their qualifications on specific apparatus, trucks and rescue boats.
On the county level, firefighters are required to complete a nearly 100-hour training course that replaced a series of shorter courses once known as Fire Fighter Essentials. They also take state and National Fire Academy training courses on pump operations, auto extrication, hazardous materials, water rescue and fire science. Most departments require members to contribute a minimum amount of time each month into each of these areas. Members in New York fire departments typically contribute 20 to 100 hours per month or more.
`A great deal of time and effort is expended to properly train a firefighter to be prepared for contemporary emergencies,` said BLFD Fire Chief William Losert. `As most everyone is aware, firefighting goes well beyond simply ‘putting the wet stuff on the red stuff.’`
The Young Adult Volunteers aren’t exempt from the tough hours; they log in many hours weekly including training and drills on Monday nights and most Saturday mornings.
Maintaining volunteer firefighter corps — a national crisis
Volunteer fire departments across the nation today are faced with the enormous challenge of recruiting and retaining members. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), there has been a decline in the number of active volunteer firefighters nationally from a high of 897,750 in 1984 to a low of 770,100 volunteers in 1989. This trend turned around slightly over the last few years, possibly due to a patriotic surge in volunteerism following 9-11.
The most recent figures, from 2003, show 800,050 volunteer firefighters, representing 73 percent of the nation’s firefighting forces. In 2004, the USFA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gathered volunteer fire service members from across the nation to brainstorm ways to boost the ranks of volunteers.
They found the major reasons for the falling numbers include more demands on people’s time in a hectic modern society; more stringent training requirements; population shifts from smaller towns to urban centers; changes in the nature of small town industry and farming; internal leadership problems; and a decline in the sense of civic responsibility among other factors.
The departments can no longer count on the children of current members following in their parents’ footsteps, or on a continuous stream of community members eager to donate their time and energy to their local volunteer fire department. Nor can they rely on members staying active in the volunteer fire service for long periods of time.
But the savings for communities maintaining a volunteer firefighting corps are substantial.
A recent cost savings study conducted by the Public Safety
and Environmental Protection Institute at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia found that the annual national savings resulting from volunteer fire services is $37.2 billion dollars. This is an average of more than $45,000 per volunteer, an enormous boost to the economy.
Like father, like son
As a kid, David Wood used to ride along to the firehouse with his dad, J.D. Wood, and hang out at the station.
`My dad has been a fireman for as long as I can remember,` said David, a 10th grader at the BH-BL High School. `I grew up with the fire department; it became an everyday thing, they were like a family to me.`
David said he waited with anticipation until he turned 16 and was able to join as a Young Adult Volunteer.
`For us in Ballston Lake, there hasn’t been much passing of the baton,` said J.D. `It’s just so demanding now; there are 97 hours of training. When I joined 15 years ago, I only had 40 hours required.` David, who is contemplating a future career as a conservation officer or a paid firefighter, said the learning curve has been as much mental as it has been physical.
`You have to know which tool is used for what, and what compartment it’s stored in,` said David. `We use flash cards to practice.`
J.D. said he worries about his son in future emergencies, but he believes David is a strong enough person to persevere.
`I got trapped in a fire in my first year as a volunteer; I ran out of air and took off my mask and inhaled smoke,` said J.D. `You push yourself past the fear.
You learn more about yourself than you ever thought you could.`
David shares his father’s determination.
`You train mentally to go in when other people run away,` said David. `I understand the fear, but we still go in.`
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