As volunteer fire departments see membership dwindle, Oakmont's welcomes its 31st member — with more to come

Oakmont Mayor Sophia Facaros swore in yet another volunteer fireman at the borough’s Aug. 19 council meeting.

Eben Ulrich, 17, started his junior year at Riverview High School on Thursday, Aug. 22, and began his stint with the Oakmont Volunteer Fire Department as its 31st active member. He will be participating in the department’s junior program.

Oakmont fire Chief Joe Flanick said he expects that two more volunteers will be sworn in soon. Flanick said there used to be a 25-member limit until council scrapped it.

“If we have people knock on the door, wanting to volunteer, they’ll be welcomed,” Flanick said. “We extend an invitation to everyone who joins. They still go through a vetting process.”

The roster ranges in all ages, offering a junior program for younger members, and it includes a female firefighter, too.

“We’re a very diverse company,” he said.

A full volunteer firehouse has become a rare sight in Western Pennsylvania. Jerry Ozog, executive director of Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute, said there have been challenges recruiting volunteers in Pennsylvania for 30 years.

“In Western Pennsylvania we’re seeing dramatic decline in population,” Ozog said.

He attributed this to a variety of reasons including older communities getting smaller, younger people moving away from small towns, lifestyle changes and stricter training requirements for firefighters. These have directly reflected on volunteer numbers in firehouses in the region.

“Lifestyles have changed,” Ozog said. “There are more two-income families and kids are a lot busier with activities.”

According to Firefighterapp.com, there are more than 1,000 volunteer fire companies in the state.

Ozog said he has seen some companies “age out” because new volunteers are few and far between.

“There are some firehouses that I walk into and everybody has gray hair,” Ozog said. “For a company to survive, they have to really engage their community and come up with a recruitment campaign.”

Flanick’s son, Joey, 22, was named fire captain in April after about six years of service.

He has focused on having the department interact with the community, be it through social media or at neighborhood events. Each Tuesday, starting at 6:30 p.m., the firehouse is open to the public and people can stop in to ask questions or just talk to the volunteers.

“One of my personal beliefs, especially volunteer fire service now, is that you need to push social media,” Joey said.

He said the success of the department has mostly boiled down to knowing people and keeping things positive. If a volunteer is enjoying their time, leadership will ask if they have any friends who’d want to join.

“It all starts with the people here and now,” Joey said. “If you create that hostile environment, it’s not going to go anywhere and (volunteers) are not going to want to be here themselves, let alone ask friends to join.”

Members are recognized for their individual strengths.

“Everybody has something to bring to the table,” Joey said.

Joe Flanick said there isn’t a “special secret” to the Oakmont department’s success in recruiting fresh faces: They just welcome people who want to help.

“We’re just very fortunate,” Flanick said. “We have some older guys that stick around. There are a lot of really good young kids that want to make a difference in their community. I don’t know what the secret is.”

While he may not know an exact formula for a thriving department, the chief has worked with his leadership team to create an environment where 31 different personalities feel at home.

“The guys do a lot of outside activities together, weddings, picnics — you invite somebody, you invite everybody,” Flanick said.

The training requirements for firefighters have also increased a great deal. Firehouses used to be called for house and car fires. Now, Ozog said, they respond to a variety of calls including water rescues, explosions and even mental health calls.

“Firehouses need to have realistic evolution-based training,” Ozog said. “Training needs to be actually preparing guys for a house fire or a vehicle accident. It has to be organized and planned training that’s actually using the skills they need. Physical fitness and health and wellness are also important. You can actually die doing this. It’s dangerous, and it’s not for everybody.”

Joey Flanick said he tries to schedule as many training sessions in the company as he can.

“We’ve been through a ton for a smaller volunteer department,” he said. “Everything from house explosions, accidents, fires, train derailments, boat calls or drownings. Newer members have seen a lot that they didn’t expect to see so fast.”

The company has prioritized mental health and has set up a mentor system between older and younger members. Creating a friendly and family-like environment has been vital during and after the more serious calls, Joey said.

Volunteers have the green light to speak with leadership, their mentor or any friends they have in the department about anything they’re struggling with.

Craig Aber, 54, a volunteer firefighter for the past 11 years, said once his kids were old enough, he joined because he wanted to give back to the community.

“Our fire department is a great fire department,” Aber said. “We have great leadership. Joe’s our chief but not only is he our chief, he’s a good friend.”

Aber travels frequently for his work. He said he has been met with nothing but understanding and flexibility when it comes to training and calls at the department.

“The department is like a big family,” he said. “If you want to join, you come down and hang out with us, mostly on Tuesday nights. When new people come around, they start to recognize that we have a good group of people.”

Aber also isn’t sure of the exact reason Oakmont has attracted so many volunteers. He named many things that Oakmont has to offer including good equipment, solid training and healthy mentorship. He said the members either talk or text with each other almost every day.

“I think the key to our success is that we have good leadership, and we’re friendly and family-oriented,” Aber said. “We look out for each other, others see that and think ‘hey that’s something I want to be a part of.’ Joey does a lot of networking with potential candidates and he’s been integral in getting people to want to join.”

From a state level, the Institute has been promoting leadership education and nonprofit administration, Ozog said. They have been trying to increase numbers for volunteer companies all over the state.

“I would rather have 10 members that want to be there than have 40 members that have to be there,” Flanick said. “We know that life always takes people lots of places, and we understand that so our members communicate with each other when things come up. We try to support each other.”