Critical Need: Ohio inaugurates campaign to recruit volunteer firefighters

COLUMBUS – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, alongside Ohio Department of Commerce Director Sherry Maxfield and State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon, announced a new statewide Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign aimed at raising awareness about the critical need for volunteer firefighters in Ohio.

The announcement was made at the Division of State Fire Marshal’s campus as part of ongoing efforts to address the shortage of volunteer firefighters across the state.

The campaign follows the creation of the Volunteer Fire Service Task Force by Governor DeWine in 2022.

This group, comprising volunteer fire departments, municipalities, and state agencies, was tasked with studying and improving the sustainability of volunteer fire services in Ohio.

The deployment of the PSA campaign is a key recommendation from the Task Force’s 31-page report.

Starting Friday, two 30-second PSAs featuring current Ohio volunteer firefighters will air on televisions and digital platforms, including social media.

These ads aim to inspire Ohioans to consider joining their local volunteer fire departments.

Interested individuals can visit MakeMeAFirefighter.org to search for volunteer opportunities across Ohio, with nearly 400 open positions currently listed.

The need for volunteer firefighters is growing as emergency calls increase across the state, but the number of volunteers is declining.

From 2018 to 2021, Ohio saw a 6.5% decrease in volunteer firefighters, while emergency calls rose by 9% from 2018 to 2020. This trend mirrors national patterns, where 65% of the country’s 1,041,200 firefighters are volunteers.

In addition to the PSA campaign, the State Fire Marshal’s office has made other strides to support volunteer firefighters, including offering free training classes at the Ohio Fire Academy, increasing grant funding to $7.5 million, and hiring a volunteer service coordinator.