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Lawmakers hear issues facing local firefighters

By Douglass Huxley 5 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Members of the Joint Committee on Volunteer Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services for the Interim Session visited the Wood County Firefighters Training Facility on Camden Avenue Monday as the West Virginia Legislature is in town to meet regarding a number of issues at the state level.

Local fire and EMS officials talked about the challenges fire departments in the area are facing including difficulties in recruiting and retaining new firefighters.

Lt. Jason Fleak of the Parkersburg Fire Department noted a shift in mindset, where young people now view firefighting as a job rather than a career. He said this has led to high turnover, with some only lasting a few months on the job.

"We get guys that might make it four months," Fleak told members of the Legislature.

House Chair Phil Mallow, R-Marion, said family legacy is no longer a driving factor in finding new firefighters.

"Now we have people that won't work for $17, $18 an hour, let alone volunteer for anything close to that," Mallow said. "So we've gotta change the mentality to where the communities realize that if we lose these people, we'll never get them back."

Working with technical schools and career pathways to get young people interested and certified in firefighting earlier on was suggested, along with creative recruitment strategies and incentives that would get more young volunteers involved in the fire service.

The financial realities of running a fire department were also discussed. Fleak said his department's starting salary is around $46,000, with firefighters working a 54-hour workweek. Despite this, the department has seen a dramatic increase in call volume, from 72 fire calls in 2000 to 4,000 calls today – the majority of which he said were EMS-related. He said a single set of firefighter turnout gear can cost over $6,500, putting a strain on department budgets. He said this has led to creative fundraising efforts, like bingo nights, to purchase critical safety equipment like cancer-blocking hoods.

"Our union guys got together, we did bingo, and raised money. That's how we were able to purchase cancer hoods," Fleak said. "We raised $8,000."

He said that cancer has become a major issue in the fire service, surpassing heart attacks as the leading cause of death. He said the department has started offering cancer testing for all firefighters and they found a company that will provide the same cancer screening tests for the county firefighters at the same discounted rate as the city firefighters.

Fleak said mental health is a big issue and that the department provides some mandatory mental health debriefings, especially after traumatic incidents like child deaths. He said they will bring in a "citizen team" from organizations like Westbrook to help with these debriefings, also.

Fleak said there are challenges in finding appropriate mental health counseling resources that understand the unique experiences of firefighters and EMTs.

"It's hard for somebody that's not worked in the field to be able to do that," he said.

The group explored ideas like having on-demand mental health apps or having local counselors specifically trained to work with first responders.

Mallow said there has been an increased awareness and focus on the needs of fire departments from the governor's office.

"The awareness with the governor, with leadership, is from here to here," Mallow said, gesturing from the floor to the ceiling. "And now we're saying, 'You know what? This is a need.' This is something we gotta add."

He said the governor has now included fire departments as a line item in the state budget, which is a positive step.

"We're getting there, workman comp rates, all those things, homeowners insurance. It's all part of the big picture that once we get it squared away, the folks that we ignored for 50 years are going to be elevated," Mallow said.

Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport Manager Ben Auville said almost 40 representatives from the Legislature also stopped by the airport Sunday to talk with them.

"It was more informative than anything," Auville said. "We showed them what's here and the possibilities of what could be here."

Auville said they talked about current projects such as the $285,000 renovations to the main lobby, the repaving project for the parking lot and the request the airport has out to build a new maintenance hangar.

"We have growth going on here," Auville said.

He said they also talked about the interest young people have shown in aviation. He said they talked about how young pilots from Marshall, Fairmont State and West Liberty Universities fly in to do training at the airport; and that a June 1 STEM Day event sparked enough interest in young people that a CTE (career technical education) program was created that saw 130 students sign up to learn more about aviation.

"We have a community that is interested in aviation," Auville said. "These school kids could receive training locally and find good-paying jobs right here."

He said the airport is open to any ideas that bring more awareness and business to the airport. He said that could include being a manufacturing hub to the new titanium factory opening in Ravenswood and the other aluminum and plastics manufacturers in the area.

"Or it could be something else," Auville said. "We're open to anything."

He said the airport, and Assistant Manager Sydnie Beall, continue to plan more community events such as the STEM Day event and Trunk or Treat.

"We have had a few people who normally do the Trunk or Treat reach out to us about doing their event up here (at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport)," Auville said. "So we may have a more community one this year."

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