Did anyone read this information on Horry County's Volunteer program?

[JFurr23]

I have a friend who has been trying to volunteer with the county for over two months now. They will not call him back but yet they complain about not having volunteer's throughout the county. What's everyones view on this?


MIKE CHERNEY
The Sun News

Horry County Fire Rescue should boost its number of volunteer firefighters to provide better fire protection, according to a fire study released last week, but some volunteers said the department's negative attitude toward volunteers makes it difficult for them to help out.

"Not too long ago, I was thinking about just taking my gear to the station and leaving it," said Dwayne Wright, a four-year volunteer lieutenant with the fire department. "They need to make it easy on us. We are taking time away from our lives and our families."

Some volunteers said the time it takes to complete paperwork, stringent requirements, inconvenient training times and a lack of encouragement deters potential volunteers when the county needs it most. But the department says it is developing new and less complicated ways for people to volunteer.

Boosting volunteers was among the 70-plus recommendations of the fire study, completed for about $90,000 by Arlington, Va.-based TriData.

The department has about 300 career firefighters and paramedics and 200 volunteers, but only 80 of them are regularly active, according to the report.

Nearly half of the department's 39 stations, many of them in rural areas, rely solely on volunteers. The county's fire rating, used to determine home insurance premiums, improved this year partly because the county has built more rural fire stations and staffed them with volunteers.

But the volunteer stations do not have enough volunteers. There often are no volunteers available to respond to a fire or other emergency, and firefighters from other stations are called to assist.

That leads to increased response times and less fire protection in the area that sent the engine.

Station 41 in Iron Springs has one volunteer, according to the study. That station was unable to respond to emergencies 94 percent of the time.

Station 19 in Cherry Hill had the best volunteer response. It missed 39 percent of calls and has 13 volunteers, the study said.

In general, the study found the department has problems mustering enough firefighters in its initial response to structure fires and recommended having three to four firefighters assigned to each fire engine. Now, some engines run with a two-man crew.

With the county's budget looking tight for the next fiscal year, increasing the number of firefighters would be difficult without using volunteers to address the staffing needs, fire officials said.

In 2004, a study completed for the National Volunteer Fire Council Foundation concluded that each volunteer firefighter saves taxpayers about $45,000.

But Horry County's difficulty in attracting volunteers is not unique -- the number of volunteer firefighters nationwide has dropped 8 percent since 1984.

Even so, many rural fire departments still rely on volunteer firefighters for protection, said Kenn Fontenot, the volunteer fire council's state director for Louisiana. Many departments allow some volunteers to help out indirectly, such as maintaining firetrucks or filling oxygen tanks.

"It frees up your guys that are qualified to fight fire to go fight fire," Fontenot said. "If someone is comfortable coming in there and refilling air bottles or picking up after the thing, I'd be glad to have them."

At Horry County Fire Rescue, though, all volunteers need to be trained to be interior firefighters -- those who can rush into burning buildings. Currently, there are no other volunteering options.

Applicants must pass a background check, an initial agility test and a physical before firefighter training. They must complete courses on CPR, hazmat operations and infectious diseases and pass another agility test before being assigned to a station.

If all goes well, said Division Chief John Tyler, who coordinates volunteers, the process can be completed in three months.

Once assigned, volunteer recruits can ride with fire engines to emergencies, but still need to pass a third agility test -- this one using an oxygen mask -- before being given full rank. If they fail, they can still perform limited operations, Tyler said.

Not everyone is complaining. Jordan Artz, 21, of Galivants Ferry, wants to be a career firefighter and thought being a volunteer was a good place to start. He applied a month ago and has yet to hear back regarding his background check, but he figured it would be a months-long process.

But Ed Langdon, a volunteer district chief who is in charge of five stations, says the process can take up to a year, and some applicants who would be qualified lose interest because it takes so long.

"All I would hear is, 'We're working on it,'" said Charlie Weeks, a volunteer lieutenant who initially dropped out because the paperwork was taking too long. "I heard, 'We're working on it' for almost six months. I got fed up, and I quit."

In 2005 and 2006, nearly 85 percent of volunteer applicants dropped out, Langdon said. Many refused to do some of the tests, but Langdon said the department would have been able to retain some of them had the process been shorter and more volunteering options been available.

In addition, Langdon said, some of the required classes are scheduled at inconvenient times. The course on infectious diseases will be held in June and July, months when some volunteers may be out of town on vacation, he said.

Tyler said the number of people who have signed up for the infectious disease classes is low. The department has done make-up classes in the past, although nothing is scheduled yet for this year.

Still, Deputy Chief Kenneth Beans acknowledges that some potential volunteers may have been lost because of the time investment.

"We've taken steps to correct any mistakes that we've made," he said.

To boost volunteers, Beans said the department is developing a program, called the fire corps, that would allow people to provide support services without completing all the training required for interior firefighters. The program would not be ready for a few months, he said.

The department also hopes to hire more training personnel to help those who want to be volunteers meet the physical requirements, Beans said.

Having a fire corps program would let applicants who want to become interior firefighters get involved in the department early on, Langdon said, increasing the chance that they will finish their training.

The need for more firefighters will increase as the demand for fire protection grows in the coming years. In 2006, the department responded to 24,000 fire incidents; that number could grow to 65,000 by 2020, the study said.

As that demand increases, having more volunteers on the scene of the fire -- whether inside or out -- will make it safer for all firefighters battling blazes in Horry County, some volunteers said.

"What it's going to take is for a fireman to get killed in this county," said Weeks, the volunteer lieutenant. "And then it's going to change."

At a glance

In 2004, a study completed for the National Volunteer Fire Council Foundation concluded that each volunteer firefighter saves taxpayers about $45,000.

The number of volunteer firefighters nationwide has dropped 8 percent since 1984.

[BryanLoader]

I certainly support the training programs before volunteers are allowed to actually participate in fires as well as the physical fitness part. Not sure about the infectious duseases requirement though. It does seem inordinately complicated and time consuming regards background check and paperwork. In these times of shrinking budgets and increased liability problems, a lot of FD are going to have to rely on more volunteers, at least in support capacity with the potential to move up to full time, sort of like an apprenticeship program. Hopefully they can get a bit more efficient in their recruiting and retaining areas.

[hwoods]

Several things get in the way of putting someone on an Engine quickly. Back when I started, I submitted a one page application, I was voted in at the next meeting (Monthly) and after the meeting the Asst. Chief gave me a Helmet and a Coat. I had a pair of Boots and a pair of Gloves, so I was good to go. That was on a Monday evening. On the Following Saturday morning about O Light Hundred the House Siren blew and I was off to the Races. 4 mile Back Step ride, Mutual Aid, for a well involved 3 story Balloon Frame house. I was Second man on the First Line in the front door, and Life has been great ever since.

Can, and Should, we do that today?? Absolutely not. BUT, things can be done to speed up the process. On Background Checks: Do an immediate State/Local check thru a Law Enforcement Agency Computer. If the Applicant is OK, allow him/her to start "Classroom" training while waiting for the results of the Federal Check. Also, the Physical Exam can be scheduled for whenever, since the prospective member is already doing something that makes them feel like they're making progress. All Training should be repeated Monthly. A lot of LITTLE things, like returning Phone Calls, can go a long way toward making people feel wanted.

Anybody from Horry reads this, Tell Matt Montgomery we need him back in Maryland to straighten his old County out. Again.

[IronsMan53]

Anybody from Horry reads this, Tell Matt Montgomery we need him back in Maryland to straighten his old County out. Again.

I'll be sure to tell him. I was thinking about inviting him to go out on the boat this Sunday anyway.

I'll have him take Larkin and John Ray for moral support.

JFurr23: There is a ton of backstory to this article including the Chiefs already working on something to speed up the process. The biggest hurtle was human resources who didn't want non fully-trained people riding the rigs. They were already working on a "Fire Corps" status with awareness training to allow the guys to ride along and stay interested while they were waiting for a FF class to open. Hopefully that will come to fruition soon. BTW, it was said on the HCFR forums that the Vol DC behind the article is no longer with the department.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Several things get in the way of putting someone on an Engine quickly. Back when I started, I submitted a one page application, I was voted in at the next meeting (Monthly) and after the meeting the Asst. Chief gave me a Helmet and a Coat. I had a pair of Boots and a pair of Gloves, so I was good to go. That was on a Monday evening. On the Following Saturday morning about O Light Hundred the House Siren blew and I was off to the Races. 4 mile Back Step ride, Mutual Aid, for a well involved 3 story Balloon Frame house. I was Second man on the First Line in the front door, and Life has been great ever since.

Can, and Should, we do that today?? Absolutely not. BUT, things can be done to speed up the process. On Background Checks: Do an immediate State/Local check thru a Law Enforcement Agency Computer. If the Applicant is OK, allow him/her to start "Classroom" training while waiting for the results of the Federal Check. Also, the Physical Exam can be scheduled for whenever, since the prospective member is already doing something that makes them feel like they're making progress. All Training should be repeated Monthly. A lot of LITTLE things, like returning Phone Calls, can go a long way toward making people feel wanted.

Anybody from Horry reads this, Tell Matt Montgomery we need him back in Maryland to straighten his old County out. Again.

I got you beat, Harve. I went to my first "job" 2 hours after I was voted in. I was still in the firehouse. I had been a Jr. so I knew the ins and outs, but I had no business being in that building.

I agree with you 100% that we should definitely not return the "Good Ol' Days".

[BryanLoader]

Did you have to feed the horses and harness them as part of your Junior training George?

I got you beat, Harve. I went to my first "job" 2 hours after I was voted in. I was still in the firehouse. I had been a Jr. so I knew the ins and outs, but I had no business being in that building.

I agree with you 100% that we should definitely not return the "Good Ol' Days".

[JFurr23]

Thanks for everyones response. We need to do something within the county to change the process to make it more interesting for the new volunteers that still have to undergo the training. I just wanted to see what everyone thought of this article.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Did you have to feed the horses and harness them as part of your Junior training George?

Damn near. The hand pumper was a bitch, too.

[LFDLT10]

On Background Checks: Do an immediate State/Local check thru a Law Enforcement Agency Computer. If the Applicant is OK, allow him/her to start "Classroom" training while waiting for the results of the Federal Check.

The state of South Carolina requires background checks on all new firefighters as part of the South Carolina Firefighter Registration Act. All criminal background checks are done by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Nobody can be added to the department until these are done. As with anything that goes to the state capital it isn't going to be done in a day or two, but no way they should be blamed for the year long process. I've seen it take 3 months before, but typically that's on the extreme side. Granted, we are closer to Columbia than Horry County...but we are talking about the US Postal Service, not the Pony Express.

[Bones42]

I can understand not letting guys ride to calls until they are trained....but months without any contact with those guys? Makes no sense. Get them in the firehouse, get them learning about your firehouse and your trucks. Why leave them out in limbo just because a course is not available?

[BoxAlarm187]

I agree with Bones. Our maximum time is 3 months from application to voting process, which includes the background & drivers history checks. We encourage the applicant to visit the station and become known, and it makes the integration of becoming a member easier.

It sounds like a lot of things are going on in Horry. From departments that are missing 94% of thier calls, to the "best" VFD "only" missing 39% of their calls, this should be a wake-up call to everyone involved. This is the time for some out-of-the-box recruitment and retention policies! Keep open communication with applicants, find an better way to deliver the training required ... don't make it as hard a career department's recruit school.

I'd love to hear from some of the folks down there about this situation...

[Bones42]

I'd love to hear from some of the folks down there about this situation...

With their best missing 39% of their calls, somehow, I doubt they will answer this thread.

[IronsMan53]

I'd love to hear from some of the folks down there about this situation...

There are many things in the works that are going to make things much better with getting the guys getting through training quicker. There are also processes being proposed that will keep them involved while they are either waiting or are in training to keep them interested in the department. We are also going to involve people that want to help but for whatever reason don't want to or cannot fight fire.

I guess things weren't going fast enough for some people. If you have any questions about our department you can PM me.

[IronsMan53]

With their best missing 39% of their calls, somehow, I doubt they will answer this thread.

Har Har Har. If you have any questions about my department you can PM me.

BTW, the response rates were for our vol stations only.

[BryanLoader]

Glad to hear the problem has been recognised and addressed. was this problem of politics, i.e. not enough manpower to train and process new firefighters or just apathy on behalf of responsible people involved. I would think anyone would tend to lose interest after a year on non involvement.
Best of luck in the new way forward

There are many things in the works that are going to make things much better with getting the guys getting through training quicker. There are also processes being proposed that will keep them involved while they are either waiting or are in training to keep them interested in the department. We are also going to involve people that want to help but for whatever reason don't want to or cannot fight fire.

I guess things weren't going fast enough for some people. If you have any questions about our department you can PM me.