Over the past few weeks, I’ve been touring volunteer fire departments and talking to firefighters and emergency workers in all regions of our great state.
These firefighters, who selflessly give their time and effort to help all of us in almost any kind of emergency, confirmed something I already knew: Many volunteer fire departments are struggling with membership recruitment and retention.
The problem isn’t new, nor is it unique to North Carolina. Volunteer fire departments are having difficulty recruiting and retaining members nationwide.