CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Clarion Fire and Hose Company No. 1 is highlighted in Part Two of an exploreClarion.com series on challenges facing area fire companies.
(Pictured are Brent Canella and Mike Chesterfield.)
Like many area volunteer fire companies, the top problem or challenge for Clarion Fire and Hose is the decreasing number of people willing to volunteer.
“It’s not just here; it’s everywhere across the country,” said Mike Chesterfield, President of the Clarion Fire & Hose Co. No. 1.
“I am told — years ago, well before my time here in Clarion — the department carried 50 active members with a waiting list. We have around 30 active members currently.”
Chesterfield considers the company lucky to have those people.
“We still have a very reliable group of guys and gals who respond to every emergency,” continued Chesterfield. “We are very fortunate to have a dedicated group that answers the calls on the first dispatch and rarely have to be re-tripped a second time.”
“Many can speculate what the cause of this is for the decline. Hour required for training and certification, the time it detracts from being away from families, and even the change in the culture in our country. People don’t want to volunteer. People more often than not want to be compensated for their time doing a job.”
The firefighters who turn out for Clarion calls point to a strong membership.
“We’re fortunate that we have a really strong membership and on a call. We get 12 to 15 guys, and the other night we had a structure fire, and I think 17 guys showed up. We do have an active membership, but the tough thing is during the day. In the middle the night, you’re getting 15 to 20 guys, but during the day, if people are out of town working—that’s where we are struggling.”
When major employers in the community like Owens-Illinois and Sealy closed, their impact was more than financial. Some of the fire company’s membership was made up of those employees, and they would be able to respond due to shift work, and some employers let their employees respond during the day. Now, many firefighters have to travel a distance to their jobs and simply aren’t available.
Knox Fire Company reported the same type of problem in our first article in this series.
“The glass plant had three shifts, and historically, they had so many members here. When they left and Sealy left, the surrounding companies and Clarion noticed it.”
As the problem of a lack of volunteers reaches across the nation, the specter of paid or partially paid fire companies raises its head, and most agree that would not be feasible and too costly.
“It would take a lot of money to fund a paid or partially paid fire company. You also have to have the volume to back it up, and it’s just not feasible. Where would the money come from—the taxpayers? We are in Clarion Borough, but we cover parts of Highland Township, Clarion Township, Monroe Township, parts of Piney and Beaver Townships, and I-80. They’re all contributing, but the majority comes from Clarion Borough.”
Clarion received 250 calls in 2017, but all of them were not emergencies and most of them were motor vehicle accidents. The majority of calls are out on I-80.
Clarion Borough owns the fire company building, and when it comes to major repairs, the company has to look for help from the borough. Chesterfield said a municipal tax could only be used for certain things such as firefighter safety.
“We’ve got to stretch every single dollar. It’s a business.”
Like problems with getting volunteers, costs have also dramatically increased over the years.
“Equipment today does not cost what it used to. An average new fire pumper today with minimal to no added equipment is well over $400,000.00. With price tags only going up, we need to make sure we are planning for the future. Trucks are expected to last 25 to 30 year. We have been able to keep our trucks maintained to the highest standards, but still, time is not stopping.”
“Some other things include gear, training, fuel, truck and building maintenance, fire and rescue equipment, and overall operation. We are fortunate to have excellent support from our community. The recent addition of the fund drive mailer over the last two years has been a huge success and has helped drastically improve our equipment. For instance, we were able to replace nozzles that have been in service since the 1920’s and 30’s. We have purchased new turnout gear that replaced aging gear that has since reached its 10-year NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) life expectancy. Rope rescue harnesses and safety gear has been improved firefighter safety. These are just a few things, but every dollar that comes through those doors is spent on improving the services we provide.”
Fighting fires as a teenager
Chesterfield started firefighting back in high school and finished off all of his certifications when he got a real job. He attended Clarion from 2002 to 2006 where he was an athletic training student and an athlete. He came back to town in 2010 when he was hired as an athletic trainer and in sports medicine at Clarion University.
“When I was a student, I was also an athlete and being an athletic training student, there was just no extra time. I look back at it now, and I wish I had joined, but I didn’t join until I got a job at University in 2010. When I came back here, I jumped into it and have been added ever since.
“I have a wife and two kids and obviously that is taking time away from here and that takes a higher priority and there’re still demands of work. This is something near and dear to me — it’s a family thing for me. If you look at the call sheet and you see the Preston’s or Bartley’s, you can see it’s a family tradition. It’s kind of passed down from generation to generation.”
He has served as president of the fire company since 2012.
Recruiting students
Chesterfield would like to recruit more members who are also Clarion University students. Four students are now on the roster, and he would like to see more because they are “tremendous” help.
“We’re lucky right now we have four students, and we need to build up and see if there is still a want for it. There’s definitely a need for more membership, and I’m sure you have seen it at other far companies.”
“A current student who is a member is working closely with the university to help try and identify additional students who may have an interest and also may have a background in fire service.”
While it’s not set up yet, the student is helping develop policy, by-laws, and a name for the student organization.
“Then, we have to find enough interested to support it and look for recognition as a student organization. Even at that point, we’re not just looking for firefighters, but first responders, and it could be everybody from to National Guard to EMS to Red Cross. We wanted to make it as marketable and attract as many students as possible and not just firefighters. It takes that type of personality that once to help someone in a time of need and that’s what these people do. Those are the people that leave their families and help people when it times of crisis. Just takes a special person to do that.”
Brent Canella, a senior business marketing major at Clarion University, is one of those people. He transferred to Clarion as a sophomore and has been a member of Clarion Fire for three years. Three other students are also on the rolls.
“I came to them because I was involved in firefighting at my home in Upper Burrell,” said Canella.
“I took most of my classes and training when I was in high school, so it was easier then. With work and classes so forth, it’s hard.”
Chesterfield said Brent was an ideal recruit because he had all of his certification and training and was ready to help.
“Our goal is to try to find some college students who already have training,” said Chesterfield. “It would really boost our ability to have interior firefighters. The training hours are just unreal. When I first started, the number of hours was way low. When I first started back in 1999 they were at 88 hours. You talk with some of the older guys and when they went through basic firemanship was only sixteen hours.”
Everyone can help
Chesterfield would like to keep Brent with the fire company, but he will be graduating and needs a job in the area. Anyone with a job should contact Mike or Brent.
Meanwhile, both Mike and Brent emphasized that everyone’s help is welcome and needed, and it doesn’t all involve fighting a fire.
“There are so many other things that people could do for the fire company and not be required to take training with the fire company instead. Fundraising and getting new members are two big areas,” said Brent.
Chesterfield has a ready list of ways people can help out.
“There are things you can do with the fire company that don’t even involve riding on a fire truck or going on calls—changing air packs of firefighters who are on the scene—traffic control—those long nights and someone needs a drink of water— you’ve got to make sure of that type of stuff,” said Chesterfield.
“There are a lot of things behind the scenes that you don’t have to be that person to go out on every single call. It doesn’t matter what your age is because we have some older members that do well. Bankers are also part of the department, and they have become financial advisors for us, and that was one of the best things that have ever happened. The bankers know money and make decisions in the right direction and how to get the most bang out of every buck.”
RELATED: PART ONE: Knox Volunteer Fire Company Outlines Challnges in Running Successful Company
