Statewide firefighters conference being held in Parkersburg
Mike Baker, director of VFIS Risk Control & Education, spoke to a group of fire chiefs and other fire personnel from around the state Thursday at the Wood County Resiliency Center during the West Virginia State Firemen's Association Conference about insurance costs and what the chiefs need to keep in mind in managing their departments. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Blair Tyndall, Emergency Services Specialist at VFIS Client Risk Solutions, talks to fire officials across the state at the West Virginia State Firemen's Association Conference Thursday at the Wood County Resiliency Center. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Mike Baker, director of VFIS Risk Control & Education, spoke to a group of fire chiefs and other fire personnel from around the state Thursday at the Wood County Resiliency Center during the West Virginia State Firemen's Association Conference about insurance costs and what the chiefs need to keep in mind in managing their departments. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
Blair Tyndall, Emergency Services Specialist at VFIS Client Risk Solutions, talks to fire officials across the state at the West Virginia State Firemen's Association Conference Thursday at the Wood County Resiliency Center. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)
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PARKERSBURG - Firefighters from around the state are meeting in Parkersburg to discuss the issues impacting the fire service across West Virginia as well as formulate action that could be adopted by the state legislature.
The West Virginia State Firemen’s Association has been holding its 98th annual conference Thursday through Saturday at the Wood County Resiliency Center. The event is being co-hosted by the Williamstown Volunteer Fire Department and the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
There are around 88 firefighters (and a number of guests) attending the conference from 33 departments across the state, including five who have not been to the annual convention before, said Doug Miracle, president of the West Virginia State Firemen’s Association and member of the Williamstown Volunteer Fire Department.
The conference is seeing more people come and more departments represented as there were 27 departments represented at last year's conference in Charles Town, he said adding there are 427 fire departments across the state.
"We are covering all of our needs and how we are going to fund them," Miracle said. "We are also looking at the laws that are being pushed on us that we are trying to maneuver through.
"We are trying to get the state legislators to see our point-of-view."
He said that there are a number of lobbyists employed by paid departments who are trying to influence lawmakers and those points aren't always good for all departments across the state.
"In this area the volunteer and the paid departments work great together," Miracle said. "There are places in the state where it is not that way."
They are working on a number of issues throughout the conference to be able to have something to present to state lawmakers to be able to take action on, he said.
"Funding is a big thing," Miracle said. "We are working on getting funds and keep them to be able to have a steady stream of money."
Miracle is hopeful that those attending the conference will get an understanding of what the association does for them as a whole across the state.
The cost of insurance and the cost of equipment is going up.
"It is skyrocketing and keeps going up and our funds aren't going up as fast as the costs are," Miracle said. "We have to figure that out. We are working with different companies trying to get help.
"One of our main topics will be fundraising."
Mike Voshel of the Williamstown Volunteer Fire Department and past president of the Wood County Fire Board, said overall equipment costs have gone up 40 percent.
"This association is what helps these departments get their funding through the state," he said. "The state doesn't just hand it to us."
They work on a lot of issues and have their own people in Charleston pushing for certain laws and legislation to be passed that are important to many fire departments and how they want state lawmakers to understand those needs.
"A lot of volunteer departments don't realize how much strength the state association has in acquiring those funds," Voshel said. "We are trying to get the word out to the smaller departments about how important the state association is, for them to be members of and participate in the conventions like this.
"The fire service changes daily on different things we do. This association is able to put everything together and to make it all working smoothly."
Both men said one of the biggest challenges has been for volunteer departments to recruit members. With all the demands people have these days, it is hard to find people who have the time to be able to serve.
"That is a big issue across the state," Voshel said of finding the people who can put in the time and serve their community.
Williamstown VFD use to have a roster of around 40 people with people on a waiting list, but now they have 22 people, he said.
The convention is held in a different location every year and it gets different departments statewide involved in hosting the event. Next year, the conference will be in McMechen and it will be held in Canaan Valley in 2028.
"It is a very important organization to be involved in," Voshel said.
Tonight, the keynote speaker will be Retired Chief Gary Morris who started his career as a volunteer firefighter at 16 in Williamstown in 1964. He had served as a chief in the Seattle, Washington area and as a Deputy Chief in Phoenix, Az.
"You can come up from a small department and it is a possibility that you can become the chief of a large department," Voshel said.