This may be a surprising fact, but the vast majority of fire companies in southwestern Pennsylvania are fully volunteer. Of the roughly 170 active fire departments, only the City of Pittsburgh and a few other pockets of Pittsburgh’s 130 municipalities maintain paid companies.
If a fire company can be supported by volunteers, it represents an enormous cost savings to the local townships.
“Western Pennsylvania has a very established history with volunteer firefighting. I’m not sure why in this area it is so ingrained but it really is. It may something to do with Home Rule charters that were set up. There were a lot of volunteer fire companies (VFCs) that were started up in the 1900s when this area was first being established. Those have existed for a long time, and they have outlived a lot of the other areas around the country,” said Chris Ausefski, the chief of the Wexford Volunteer Fire Company, also known as Allegheny County Station 228.
The Wexford company was established in 1921 and is one of the first VFCs in the northern area of Allegheny County. Based on the growth of the area and with other northern area VFCs being established, it now primarily serves Pine Township, which represents 17 square miles and serves around 17,000 people. The company responds to about 1,200 calls a year, which includes participating in mutual aid by helping other volunteer companies respond to fires in areas from McCandless to Cranberry.
Ausefski, who is an electrical engineer by day, nevertheless logs about 30-40 hours a week as chief of Wexford Volunteer Fire Company. He joined when he was in college after witnessing a car fire, which fulfilled his desire to engage in community service.
Mike Daniher has been a volunteer firefighter for almost 30 years, having worked with several different companies in the region. Currently, he serves as the Chief of the Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services, which was a recent merger of the Aspinwall and Sharpsburg VFCs. Daniher, whose father, grandfather and daughter have all been volunteer firefighters, said that the 43-member company serves about 9,000 people. Daniher said that there are a pretty diverse group of volunteers at his company, including both males and females, and the ages range from 14 to 84.
Daniher said that most volunteer fire companies have to self-fund, while others are fully funded by the communities in which they serve. “We’re kind of a hybrid—both boroughs pay for operating costs, and then what we do is work on trying to get the capital side. It is difficult to ask people to raise the money, so the boroughs are working very diligently to make up all the operating costs through the borough budget, and we’re very appreciative,” he said.
His company usually responds to about 600 calls per year. “Most departments throughout the county have seen the call volume increase exponentially,” he said.
The same can be said for the Wexford Volunteer Fire company, who has experienced an increased call volume from 300 to 1,200 per year in the last decade or so. Unfortunately, most VFCs are facing a volunteer shortage.
“The burden placed on the volunteers is much higher than it previously was. We have much higher training standards and certifications to achieve. We expect more out of everybody, which is good thing, but when you throw all those things together, there are less and less people to fulfill those roles than there once was,” said Ausefski.
With a goal of helping to combat this shortage, Community College of Allegheny County has partnered with the Allegheny County Fire Academy to offer the Allegheny County Fire Volunteer Education, Service and Training Scholarship Program, referred to as FireVEST. Any CCAC student who is a resident of Allegheny County who trains to become a volunteer firefighter receives a scholarship for free tuition and textbooks, whether they are pursuing an associate’s degree or a certificate program. In turn, the student promises a five-year commitment with an Allegheny County VFD upon completion of the 200+ hour course.
Glenn Kopec is the administrator of the Allegheny County Emergency Services Fire Academy, which provides training to most of the volunteer firefighters within the county.
“Typically, we’re known for offering what we refer to as the Pennsylvania entry level firefighter training curriculum,” said Kopec. The extensive courses include everything from learning to handle equipment, fire ground support, and hazardous materials awareness. Although taking the certification test is usually optional, it is required for FireVEST candidates.
Daniher said that his company has a public outreach committee, which holds dozens of annual events in order to gain exposure. One program they run is holding a kids’ fire camp in an effort to try to recruit younger people, or at least to expose them to the fire service. “The more people you can talk to and meet, the more chance you have to recruit new members,” he said.
While volunteer firefighting is, of course, of tremendous service to the community, Daniher said that being part of a VFD also teaches other important life skills, including, “…gaining the skills to work together in adverse conditions and working as a team to overcoming whatever challenges they may face. Those are skills that they can use the rest of their lives.”
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