West Virginia Fire Commission says it critically needs firefighters but not how many

Staffing at fire departments is the top issue cited in the newly released Fire Prevention and Control plan by the West Virginia Fire Commission.

The plan states that staffing issues plague both paid and volunteer fire departments, leading to dangerous situations at fire scenes. For every two firefighters inside a structure, two must be outside to render aid if needed — a procedure prescribed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration .

“The manpower needs relative to fire and other related hazard responses are critical to the safety of the citizens of West Virginia and those responding to these emergencies and hazards,” the plan states.

But the plan has no description of how many vacancies state fire stations have or how many firefighters would be needed for stations to meet OSHA standards.

State Fire Marshal Ken Tyree said pinning down the number of vacancies is a goal for his office.

“Because about 96% of West Virginia’s fire departments — 423 in total — are volunteer or partially paid, our office does not currently track a statewide vacancy rate, though doing so may become feasible in the future,” he said.

The state’s 13 fully paid departments are all fully staffed, he added. There are about 8,000 volunteers and 1,000 paid firefighters in the state, according to figures released by his office.

West Virginia is among the deadliest states in the country for house fires, a problem that stretches back decades. While the state’s fire commission was supposed to produce a plan after it was created in 1976 by the legislature, it hasn’t done so until now.

The plan addresses more than just staffing issues. It looks at 15 other areas important to fire prevention, such as water sources, station placement, public education and training. But staffing is an underlying issue mentioned throughout the plan.

Recruiting volunteer firefighters is a huge challenge, the plan notes, because prospective recruits have limited time due to most households having to rely on two incomes.

“The number of volunteer firefighters in the U.S. reached a low in 2020,” the plan states. “At the same time, call volume has more than tripled in the last 35 years due in large part to the increase in emergency medical calls.”

However, the plan, which includes targeting high-risk areas for public education, is contingent on the fire commission partnering and delegating responsibilities to the same volunteer fire departments that are facing staffing shortages.

Tyree said there are workarounds to solve this issue.

“We see an opportunity to engage community members outside the traditional fire service — such as educators, accountants and tradespeople — to assist with non-operational support, risk reduction education, and administrative tasks,” he said.

The plan also calls for improved reporting to the fire commission from local fire departments, as well as a quarterly review of segments of the plan on a rotating basis. Past legislative audits found the staff at the fire marshal’s office performing too many tasks, which impeded public education efforts.

Tyree said the plan review will be a priority.

“As data collection and public safety education expand, we will continually evaluate staffing needs to ensure the state fire commission maintains adequate support capabilities,” he wrote.

The plan also calls for seeking out funds through grants to address these problems. But Tyree said that doesn’t preclude the commission from seeking help from the Legislature.

“If data demonstrates clear needs that cannot be met through federal streams or local funds, we are fully prepared to engage with the Legislature and state stakeholders to secure appropriate financial support,” Tyree wrote.

This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.