Officials from the Harford County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Association recently met with County Council members to discuss ways to improve recruitment for first responders with local volunteer fire and EMS programs.

First responders make an indispensable contribution in local public service delivery. Both professional and volunteer organizations are integral to the overall function of emergency services. While many public service positions are facing staffing challenges, volunteer roles, in particular for firefighting and emergency medical services, are required to complete between 135 and 207 hours of training before going on a call. Though necessary, these requirements create a lag in how quickly new volunteers can get online with existing programs and start going on calls.

In local discussions, finding ways to make access to the training easier and more flexible for candidates has become a major priority in order to shore up emergency response teams. Ensuring sufficient funding for the programs was also presented as a challenge that local officials and representatives are hoping to work through in the coming budget cycle.

From a recent Baltimore Sun article:

To overcome the challenge, the association is working with the Harford County Department of Emergency Services to offer more classes and create a flexible schedule that wouldn’t pose as much of a time challenge for volunteers.

Additionally, programs in other states are also finding ways to tap into school based programs, and not just in high schools and higher education, but all the way down to grade schools. Those program foster interest early on, in age appropriate ways, to help children envision the type of contribution they might want to make.