When a member of the Bogota Rescue Squad was approaching his 75th birthday earlier this year, the squad lobbied the Borough Council to raise the retirement age from 75 to 80.
The borough’s volunteer Fire Department made a similar change last year, reflecting the growing need of volunteer emergency service organizations across North Jersey to hold on to their older members as they struggle to find new recruits.
“Everyone is suffering. I think every town is facing the same issue,” said Alex Bruss, Bogota's acting fire chief. “Years ago, at my age — mid-50s — you’re already out of the fire department. But nobody’s knocking down our doors to join so we’re all hanging around a lot longer.”
Ambulance squads and fire departments have seen their ranks decline as the hours of training needed to join, the time commitment of volunteering and the area’s high cost of living have combined to thin the pool of potential volunteers.