Firehouses to open doors this weekend for recruitment drive

• Fire officials kicked off an annual recruitment drive to boost the ranks of volunteer departments.
• Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to stop by local firehouses this weekend.
• For area residents and fire departments looking for more information, visit www.recruitny.org.

After moving back from college, Donna Stretz was working full time but looking for something to add to her life. Volunteering for a local fire department seemed like a good idea.

"If I could do something to help other people, protect their property, to save their lives possibly, why not do it?" said Stretz, a Cortlandt resident who's been a member of the Mohegan Volunteer Fire Association for about eight years. "We have that chance every time the alarm goes off to be able to do that."

Stretz's membership couldn't have come at a better time, as dwindling numbers are challenging volunteer fire departments nationwide. The Lower Hudson Valley is not immune.

The Firemen's Association of the State of New York says the number of volunteer firefighters in the state dropped from about 110,000 in 2000 to 85,000 in 2011. Part of the problem is potential members can't manage the required instruction time and no longer regularly work where they live. Older volunteers are aging out.

Fire and elected officials across the state are fighting back, notably this weekend with a recruitment drive.

During the fourth annual RecruitNY weekend on Saturday and Sunday, many fire departments in the region will open their doors and fire truck bays to local residents. Members will conduct tours of firehouses, allow visitors to try on turnout gear, conduct demonstrations, discuss the volunteer requirements and let visitors know how to join.

The drive has brought in 12,500 new members across the state since 2011, according to FASNY, but more are needed. Departments have also benefited from flexible instruction hours and an influx of women and minorities, who have bolstered sagging ranks in some communities.

"As fast as we gain them, we lose them," James Burns, FASNY president, said at a kickoff event on Thursday. "Not everyone has to run into burning buildings. There are other jobs people can do."

For more information or to find out if your fire department is participating in RecruitNY, visit www.recruitny.org or contact your local fire department on a non-emergency phone number or its website. Fire departments interested in signing up can do so at www.recruitny.org/signup.

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