July 10, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
What if you had a fire at your home and nobody came to put it out?
You may not realize it but your county fire department, like many others in cities and counties across the state, is made up entirely of volunteers. These are people who care about their community and have a desire to help their neighbors. But over the years fewer people have stepped up to serve. To keep the department adequately staffed for years to come, DeKalb County needs you!
During the month of July, the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department is conducting its 2nd annual recruitment drive and awareness campaign in search of new members.
County Fire Chief Donny Green and Recruitment and Retention Committee Chairman Lieutenant Matt Adcock say the department needs to increase its membership in order to better serve the county. Currently the department operates 12 fire stations across the county staffed by a total of 91 members.
“Last year, during our July Recruitment Month, we successfully recruited 7 new members. Those effects echoed throughout the rest of the year resulting in 20 new members in total. The great success of this event has led us to believe we should make this an annual event,” said Lt. Adcock
What does this recruitment month really do? What is the purpose?
“This event is to strive vigorously in reaching out to the public, making known that we are indeed a volunteer fire department and that we need the citizens of the county to help us serve the community. During this month, we will work diligently in promoting and advertising our department’s staffing needs, and educating our community about the essential services our department provides,” according to Lt. Adcock.
“Now that you know what this event is for, let’s introduce you to our department,” said Chief Green. “We are a county-wide department with 12 stations all around the county. This time last year, we had 61 members in total. We currently have 91 members. That is an increase of 30 members since our July 2020 recruitment month. You can easily see the benefits of this event, and the awareness it produces in the community. We hope that this 2021 year will be even more impressive. DeKalb Fire is responsible for many services within our county. We provide fire protection, vehicle extrication, landing zones, natural disaster response, as well as robust fire prevention/education programs. Our free smoke alarm installation program is also known as one of the best in the state,” Chief Green continued.
The DeKalb County Fire Department’s mission statement is “To professionally protect life and property from fire and other emergencies through effective public education, proactive training programs, and efficient and safe incident responses.”
“Are we suffering from a staffing shortage? The most direct answer is absolutely,” said Lt. Adcock. “We are still in need of volunteers. We are not the only fire department in this struggle. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 73.6% of fire departments in Tennessee are volunteer as of July 6th, 2021. According to this same source, 70.4% of all the fire departments in the nation are all volunteer. It is always a challenge to find volunteers that can sacrifice some time out of their busy schedules to protect and serve their community”.
According to Lt Adcock, Chief Green explained it best in an interview with WJLE last year stating, “This is not just an issue here but all over the state and country. In 1986, when I started as a volunteer, DeKalb County had more farmers and a lot of them were on the fire department. In many cases, these farmers would be out on a tractor or in a tobacco field and when a fire call came in they would stop working and come to the fire. We also had a large industry here at that time who was really good about letting employees on duty, who were also volunteer firefighters, leave work to answer fire calls. We have lost much of that now. Today, many people are so busy with their jobs or other commitments they don’t have time to volunteer, which is making recruiting more challenging for us as a fire department,” said Chief Green.
You may be asking yourself, “what can I do to make a difference and what are the requirements?”
“First, if you are at least 18 years old and passionate about helping others, then you’re ready. After an application has been completed, our Training Officer, Brian Williams, will get you started by helping you complete some on-line courses in Incident Command Systems, Hazmat Awareness, and our department’s orientation process,” said Lt. Adcock.
“In the first six months, you will complete a 16-hour Introduction to Emergency Services and a 64-hour Recruit Class normally broken up into 4-hour days or nights, approximately twice a week. Our Training Officer will work with you in finding a training schedule to fit your needs. All ages, races, and genders are welcome to our family here at DCFD. We also have a rehabilitation team that is responsible for providing on-scene health support for our firefighters as they perform their duties in extreme conditions. After one year on the department as a firefighter, you can have other opportunities like vehicle extrication technician and wildland firefighter trainings. We are a department with many jobs, many tasks, and many different skill sets. It’s safe to say we have something for everyone,” added Chief Green.
If you are interested in joining, or want to ask questions regarding this amazing opportunity to help your community, it’s as easy as a phone call. Call Chief Donny Green at (615) 464-7176.