Kevin Schott, vice president of the Illinois Firefighter’s
Association, addressed the shortage with The Center Square as
efforts are stepped up to retain and recruit volunteers.
“Overall, we're at a critical point in the state of Illinois,”
he said. “The crisis is real.”
Schott cautioned the problem is not as severe in every volunteer
fire department because some have succeeded with recruiting and
retention, but the situation is getting worse in recent years
and needs a remedy.
Of the reasons for the shortage, Schott said work, money, family
demands and even COVID-19 are all factors, but there’s also the
time commitment.
“You don't just sign up and jump on the big red truck and go put
water on the fire. There's a considerable amount of training
that has to be done in the state of Illinois,” he said.
But the rewards are also great, especially when lives and homes
are saved, Schott said.
The shortage of volunteer firefighters is one that impacts
safety, not only in communities but along the highways that they
cover, and thus has become an issue for legislative action. A
$500 state tax rebate for volunteer firefighters is one of the
ways that the Illinois Firefighter’s Association is hoping to
combat a critical demand for volunteers.
Schott, also Montgomery County’s director of emergency
management, said the rules for this $500 rebate are being
crafted. But this is only one way that the association hopes to
reverse the volunteer decline.
“We're going to be working with legislators more in the upcoming
year to see what we can do for some incentives,” he said, noting
the importance of incentives to retain firefighters as well as
to attract them.
For community members who could never imagine themselves jumping
on a fire truck and putting out a fire, he said there are many
ways to support your local fire department.
“Sometimes in the middle of winter, somebody making coffee for
the firefighters is a godsend,” he said. “So, you don't have to
be overly physically fit to assist your local fire department.
Go talk to them.”
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