NYS Volunteer Firefighter Shortage Affects Sullivan County Fire Departments

Across New York State, the number of volunteer firefighters is dwindling. The number of volunteers in the fire service is at a 40 year low. Small town fire stations rely on volunteers. Across all of Sullivan County, the Monticello Fire Department is only one fire station with career firefighters. Even with career firefighters, the Monticello Fire Department still needs a solid base of volunteers.

John Hauschild said that the biggest reason that smaller departments run on a volunteer model is a lack of budget.

“Even if you put one or two firefighters on, you have to have two or three more because you have sick days, you have holidays, you have vacation, you have all that stuff.” Hauschild said.

Hauschild believes that it was easier to build a volunteer fire company when it was easier for people to work in the towns they lived in. When people don’t work within their own town, they aren’t close by for the moment an emergency hits. This can delay the time it takes for emergency services to respond to an event.

Sullivan County has 1,248 volunteer firefighters, but these volunteers are divided amongst 40 different fire departments. Often when a department is struggling to find and retain volunteers its only two options are to close or combine. In 2024, the Long Eddy Hose Company had to suspend service due to lack of volunteers. While the company has been working to revive the more than century old station, it has yet to resume full services. It may seem like an easy solution to combine departments, but for some it can feel like a loss.

“In the fire service everyone has pride. They’re proud of their hometown, they’re proud of their fire department.” Hauschild said. “Sometimes it’s hard to let go of that because they have been there for 100 years.”

There is no shortage of ways to help the fire service. If you are 16 or older, you can be a volunteer firefighter, but that is not the only way to support emergency services. When the fire department throws fundraisers like barbecues and pancake breakfasts, Hauschild said that support goes a long way.

“There’s so much to do in the fire service,” he said. “You want to do scuba diving, you want to do search and rescue, you want to do auto extrication. It’s not all just about running into a burning building.”

John Hauschild described the fire service as a big family. If you are interested in volunteering with the fire service you can get started on the Join Sullivan County Fire Facebook page or find resources on the Sullivan County Website.