Recently, some individuals have decided to lambast the Lacey fire fighters as being a group of individuals that are dedicated to only the ideals of a union with no desire to support volunteers. We want to point out that Lacey still has volunteer fire fighters, that nearly all of the career firefighters started out as volunteers, and that we respond and work with volunteer fire fighters everyday in our own organization and around the county in other departments.
We want to make it very clear that Lacey fire fighters do not have an organized campaign to drive out volunteer fire fighters. It has become popular by a few individuals to place blame for volunteer fire fighter decline even though these same criticizing individuals have done no research (like a phone call) or bother to ask the fire department why turnover has become high in the volunteer ranks. It’s clearly a non-defendable position to assume that the union must be at fault.
Rather, the volunteer fire fighter of old is not as common at Lacey for a variety of reasons that include everything from military service (moving), career pressure at their full time job, increase demands in required minimum training as required by law, and more. Even the most recent volunteer candidates frequently came on board looking for training and a future career, and then were hired by outside organizations as fire fighters. One particular volunteer class at Lacey was hired away at a rate in excess of 70%.
Considering that it costs thousands of dollars to put a fire fighter (volunteer or not) through initial hiring screening, do a medical exam, background check, equip him or her with about $4000 in gear, then provide them with required initial fire and EMS training, and finally put them in on going training; it became evident that the fiscal impacts could not be ignored. Retention versus costs was simply interpreted as return on investment.
Please consider this article from the Everett Herald to understand that the rigors of being a volunteer fire fighter is tough and that all jurisdictions are having a hard time recruiting and retaining volunteers. http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090421/NEWS01/704219837&news01ad=1#Fire.departments.shift.toward.paid.crews
As always, this is not the opinion or the direction of the management or commissioners of Lacey Fire District #3.