Strolling by any firehouse on an average weekday, firefighters working on vehicles, conducting routine maintenance on equipment and preparing for the next call can be seen. Firefighters, by necessity, occupy the time between calls of service with routine chores, planning and training. But when the alarm goes off, they run toward the fire. And although some of them as professionals, many of the people who wear the uniform are not clocking in and out.

Most firefighters in the U.S. are volunteers. According to the National Volunteer Fire Council, “Volunteers comprise 65% of firefighters in the United States. Of the total estimated 1,041,200 firefighters across the country, 676,900 are volunteer.”

The earliest example of a volunteer firefighter brigade in the U.S. was the Union Fire Company in Philadelphia in 1736. It was established by patriot Benjamin Franklin. Franklin and his contemporaries understood that fire threatened everyone in a community; therefore, everyone in the community owed a responsibility to fighting it. This same sentiment drives the majority of today’s firefighters to volunteer, giving up their spare time in the evenings and weekends to serve their community.

When faced with a shortage of fire volunteers, officials at Berkeley Hills Fire Company in Pennsylvania developed an innovative solution to the challenge. In a moment of desperation, they converted a spare room into a free bunk house in exchange for volunteering. While Berkeley Hills was not the first department to come up with the live-in firefighter solution, in this case it did stem the tide and help in recruiting efforts.

Chief Dillon Coleman said the program was established in 2004. Before it was started, his department had experienced increased call volume: Combined with extended home response times, particularly around the holiday season and in the commercial district, the members of his fire house took the initiative to staff the emergency medical services squad in shifts. The program flourished from there.

The bunk space started as a small office, approximately 10 feet by 10 feet. It has undergone several renovations. In 2017, it expanded it into the existing living quarters, going from seven bunk beds and one shower to eight private bedrooms, a bunk room with three bunks and three full bathrooms. The remodeling was paid for by the fire company through a loan of $160,000.

The requirements and expectations for volunteers participating in the live-in program are being a member of the fire company, being 18 years of age or older, having a full-time job or being a full-time student and having at least a Firefighter 1 certification. If the person moves in as an EMS-only member, he or she must be a certified emergency medical technician and have emergency vehicle driver training certification.

The program has successfully impacted Berkeley Hills’ response times because the department is no longer waiting for people to leave their houses, drive to the firehouse and then get on the firetruck.

Coleman aims to keep the program going with as many participants as possible and wants to continue educating his firefighters to be tactically smart and mission driven.

Berkeley Hills’ success has attracted the attention of other municipal fire services, several of which have reached out. “The last department to reach out was actually from the state of Alaska,” he said.

There has only been a slight increase in expenses due to the live-in program. “Financially, the department has seen some increases in things like electricity and water. However, that is the price we will pay to have people in the firehouse around the clock, which helps support our No. 1 mission of quickly performing readily available, lifesaving actions.”

Local support has been positive, although not without its challenges, Coleman noted. “Community leaders support the program and have commended us on its success. Unfortunately, the general public is historically unaware that the company is 100% volunteer, despite it being noted on all of our social media outlets, on our signs, and in our donation request mailings.”

Some volunteers step forward out of duty or the calling they feel to serve their community. Others believe they can grow as a person or professionally by joining the noble efforts of their local fire department.  Some firefighters sign up for the experience of being on a high-capacity team in an attempt to push themselves to the limit. Whatever the reason, recruiting has to take place all year to satisfy the need of a modern fire department. Leaders like Chief Coleman have found creative and innovative ways to adapt their recruiting efforts, increasing safety for the members of their community. 

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