When Your Volunteer Firefighters Don't Fight (Much) Fire with Joe Maruca

You probably know that recruiting has become a real problem at many volunteer fire departments.That’s true. But what’s worse is when you get someone to join, get them qualified, and then in a year or two they quit.The NVFC says its happening at least partly because volunteers are being lured in by the big red trucks and then find they’ll spend a lot more time doing EMS work.That makes sense. If they joined because of the video or poster of firefighters in turnouts at a structure fire, they’re going to be disillusioned. So why do departments keep doing that?We’re discussing that today with Joe Maruca. He’s chief of the West Barnstable, Massachusetts, Fire Department. That’s a combination fire department on Cape Cod. He served as a volunteer firefighter from 1977 until becoming chief in 2005. He is a Massachusetts director on the National Volunteer Fire Council, and serves as the vice chair of the NVFC’s recruitment and retention committee. He’s also a retired attorney.