Officials have warned of serious consequences after the number of volunteer firefighters, the bedrock of firefighting in the US, plunged, leading to entire departments to close in some states.
About 65% of American firefighters are volunteers, serving in their free-time alongside regular jobs. In 2008 there were 827,000 volunteers nationwide, but that figure dropped to 635,000 in 2023, the last year data is available.
Some states have been hit particularly hard, including New York, where fire officials said the number of volunteers has fallen to its lowest level in 40 years, creating a “public safety crisis” in areas around the state.
“It’s quite serious, to be perfectly honest with you,” said Ralph Raymond, second vice-president of the Association of Fire Districts of New York and a volunteer firefighter in Massapequa, 20 miles east of New York City.
Raymond said volunteers provide 93% of “fire protection” across the state, but dwindling numbers forced six fire departments to close in New York communities 2025 alone.
“It means that residents [in those areas] now have to wait for a fire truck to come from a neighboring fire department that’s further from the one that just closed. They’re still going to get the fire protection, but they’re not going to get it as quick,” Raymond said.
Volunteer firefighters have served as a backbone of US fire protection in cities and towns for centuries: initially doing little more than throwing buckets of water at blazes before adopting more sophisticated methods.
Until the 1850s all firefighters were volunteers – although the free labor was offset by the social status the role provided – but in 1853 Cincinnati, Ohio, established the first professional and paid fire department in the US. Volunteers have remained the dominant force, however, particularly in rural communities and small towns and villages.
The modern day volunteer starts their shift at home, Raymond said. The men and women, who have to undergo weeks of training before they are entrusted to tackle blazes, start their shifts at home: if a call comes in they have to scramble to the local firehouse, get their gear on, and jump in the fire truck.
People used to flock to the role, but Raymond and other officials blame the cost of living for preventing people from becoming involved. With some people already working two jobs, it is difficult for them to find time to also serve as a fireperson. In New York, fire officials are lobbying the state government to amend laws to allow them to provide “nominal compensation” to volunteers, of about $100 per shift.
“It really would mean a lot to the individuals who are poor who are standing by. Because it takes that person, that guy or that girl who’s volunteering that time, who works two jobs to put food on their table. Now it takes that person and they say: ‘Hey, you know what? I don’t have to work that second job. I can volunteer my time down at the firehouse.’”
Raymond, 63, has been a volunteer for 40 years, inspired by his father, who was a professional fireman. He said that for those able to do it, being a volunteer firefighter is more than worth their time.
“I love helping people,” he said.
“I love giving back to my community. It’s a sense of community pride, when you’re out on the truck, and you’re actually providing a service to the community, and you’re able to help somebody it’s a feeling like no other. It’s really just a sense of community pride. As long as I’m physically able to do it, I’m going to continue to do it.”
