Vermont Standard
By Katy Savage
Standard Staff
About half of Woodstock Fire Chief Butch Sutherland’s volunteer roster is capable of handling the rigors of getting into a burning building and fighting a fire.
The rest are not.
“The ones that don’t feel that they can do it, they usually step up to the plate and say, ‘I can’t do that anymore,’” Sutherland said.
Sutherland is retiring at the end of this year after 45 years of service — 25 as chief. There are about 35 people on Woodstock’s force now, a number that has remained stable in Sutherland’s tenure.
But “they all got gray hair,” said Sutherland, who guessed the average age is in the middle-to-late 40s.
Firefighters in Windsor County are an aging group and it’s getting harder and harder for those grayhaired firefighters to crawl up and down ladders and in and out of homes. So much so, it has some fire chiefs are concerned about the future of firefighting in this state.
In Pomfret, the average firefighter has 15-20 years of experience, Fire Chief Kevin Rice said, and the average age is about 50.
Younger people just aren’t signing up.
“Our big issue is one: finding able-bodied people that are willing to serve, two: finding people who have the time to come to training because it’s quite a commitment,” said Rice, 56. “We don’t have any young people who can afford to buy homes here so we don’t have many people to choose from.”
There’s a consistent group of 17 on the Pomfret and Teago fire departments’ rosters. Rice knows of six people in town who are interested in joining the fire department, but they can’t make the time commitment to get trained.
The Firefighter I course at the Vermont Fire Academy requires 187 hours of training. Some fire chiefs who got certified in the 1980s remember doing 80 hours of training. Classes are held throughout the state and meet one day every week and occasional Saturdays. It takes almost a year to complete the course.
“It’s a big commitment. The training — they’re making it way too long for someone who’s volunteering their time,” said Barnard Fire Chief Scott Mills, who first got certified in 1977.
“We have a lot of young people that will show up. They think it’s all excitement — (they think) you go to a class, you get a red light (and you) get to go to calls,” said Bridgewater Fire Chief Ed Earle, who is 54.
A lot of the new recruits drop out. After 2-3 nights a week and a Saturday here or there, “that takes a lot out of it,” Earle said. “People think it’s all glory.”
Rice had his first cadet this year. A 16-year-old completed training in Addison.
“He was our first one that showed interest,” Rice said.
The Pomfret fire department paid for the cadet’s $400 training course and though it was a good experience, the cadet is leaving for college this year.
“When these kids go to college, God knows when they’re going to come back,” Rice said.
The population struggle is everywhere.
“Most of the people who move to Woodstock didn’t move here to be on the fire departments,” Sutherland said.
Some towns have resorted to paying volunteer firefighters. Woodstock firefighters will make $17 an hour starting this year for going to weekly meetings, trainings and fire calls. The total cost of stipends is budgeted for about $50,000 this year.
“It’s a good gesture from the town,” Sutherland said.
Most of the firefighters get a check between $800 and $1,200 each summer, which Sutherland said many use at Christmas time.
The stipend may incentivize people to get trained and certified but it isn’t their primary reason for volunteering, according to Sutherland.
“Money is not the issue. They don’t do it for the money. I think we could pay them $50 an hour and we won’t get any more people,” Sutherland said.
Pomfret-Teago and Pomfret fire departments responded to 58 calls in 2014. The firefighters can spend an hour on a false alarm or an entire day at a structure fire. Firefighters don’t receive a stipend in Pomfret like they do in Woodstock.
“The day may come when we may have to do that as well,” Rice said.
But Rice wasn’t sure a paycheck would matter.
“I don’t think it makes a difference to them…that’s why they’re volunteers. They want to serve the town,” he said.
Some firefighters don’t even want a stipend.
“If someone said, ‘OK now I’m going to start paying you,’ I wouldn’t feel comfortable,” Earle said. “A lot of Vermonters are true volunteers. They just don’t like the stipend.”
Killington has a roster of 34 volunteers and responded to more than 200 calls last year.
“I know there are some people who would love to have a paid job, me included, there are others that want to do it on a volunteer basis,” said Fire Chief Gary Roth.
Barnard is different from other departments around here where generations of committed families remain devoted to the fire department. Brodie Webster 25, just completed training to be a firefighter.
Webster spent nine months in training in Bethel. His class met once a week for four hours and then every other Saturday for eight hours.
“It’s really exhausting,” said Webster.
But it’s something he’s always wanted to do. Seven generations of Websters have lived in Barnard and his family has a history of serving on the fire department.
“It’s kind of what you did when you were growing up in Barnard,” said Webster, who explained the fire department is like a men’s club. “I think it’s mostly our leadership. (Fire Chief Scott Mills) knows what works and what doesn’t work.”
Still, his father shares the concern that the fire chiefs in this area share.
“I don’t know what the answer is. It’s hard for young people to actually stay in Vermont,” said Rock Webster, the captain of the fire department in Barnard, is retiring after 27 years of service.
Rock Webster, 54, says he’s finding it harder to manage his time between his business and the fire department.
“I’m getting older,” he said.
By Katy Savage
Standard Staff
About half of Woodstock Fire Chief Butch Sutherland’s volunteer roster is capable of handling the rigors of getting into a burning building and fighting a fire.
The rest are not.
“The ones that don’t feel that they can do it, they usually step up to the plate and say, ‘I can’t do that anymore,’” Sutherland said.
Sutherland is retiring at the end of this year after 45 years of service — 25 as chief. There are about 35 people on Woodstock’s force now, a number that has remained stable in Sutherland’s tenure.
But “they all got gray hair,” said Sutherland, who guessed the average age is in the middle-to-late 40s.
Firefighters in Windsor County are an aging group and it’s getting harder and harder for those grayhaired firefighters to crawl up and down ladders and in and out of homes. So much so, it has some fire chiefs are concerned about the future of firefighting in this state.
In Pomfret, the average firefighter has 15-20 years of experience, Fire Chief Kevin Rice said, and the average age is about 50.
Younger people just aren’t signing up.
“Our big issue is one: finding able-bodied people that are willing to serve, two: finding people who have the time to come to training because it’s quite a commitment,” said Rice, 56. “We don’t have any young people who can afford to buy homes here so we don’t have many people to choose from.”
There’s a consistent group of 17 on the Pomfret and Teago fire departments’ rosters. Rice knows of six people in town who are interested in joining the fire department, but they can’t make the time commitment to get trained.
The Firefighter I course at the Vermont Fire Academy requires 187 hours of training. Some fire chiefs who got certified in the 1980s remember doing 80 hours of training. Classes are held throughout the state and meet one day every week and occasional Saturdays. It takes almost a year to complete the course.
“It’s a big commitment. The training — they’re making it way too long for someone who’s volunteering their time,” said Barnard Fire Chief Scott Mills, who first got certified in 1977.
“We have a lot of young people that will show up. They think it’s all excitement — (they think) you go to a class, you get a red light (and you) get to go to calls,” said Bridgewater Fire Chief Ed Earle, who is 54.
A lot of the new recruits drop out. After 2-3 nights a week and a Saturday here or there, “that takes a lot out of it,” Earle said. “People think it’s all glory.”
Rice had his first cadet this year. A 16-year-old completed training in Addison.
“He was our first one that showed interest,” Rice said.
The Pomfret fire department paid for the cadet’s $400 training course and though it was a good experience, the cadet is leaving for college this year.
“When these kids go to college, God knows when they’re going to come back,” Rice said.
The population struggle is everywhere.
“Most of the people who move to Woodstock didn’t move here to be on the fire departments,” Sutherland said.
Some towns have resorted to paying volunteer firefighters. Woodstock firefighters will make $17 an hour starting this year for going to weekly meetings, trainings and fire calls. The total cost of stipends is budgeted for about $50,000 this year.
“It’s a good gesture from the town,” Sutherland said.
Most of the firefighters get a check between $800 and $1,200 each summer, which Sutherland said many use at Christmas time.
The stipend may incentivize people to get trained and certified but it isn’t their primary reason for volunteering, according to Sutherland.
“Money is not the issue. They don’t do it for the money. I think we could pay them $50 an hour and we won’t get any more people,” Sutherland said.
Pomfret-Teago and Pomfret fire departments responded to 58 calls in 2014. The firefighters can spend an hour on a false alarm or an entire day at a structure fire. Firefighters don’t receive a stipend in Pomfret like they do in Woodstock.
“The day may come when we may have to do that as well,” Rice said.
But Rice wasn’t sure a paycheck would matter.
“I don’t think it makes a difference to them…that’s why they’re volunteers. They want to serve the town,” he said.
Some firefighters don’t even want a stipend.
“If someone said, ‘OK now I’m going to start paying you,’ I wouldn’t feel comfortable,” Earle said. “A lot of Vermonters are true volunteers. They just don’t like the stipend.”
Killington has a roster of 34 volunteers and responded to more than 200 calls last year.
“I know there are some people who would love to have a paid job, me included, there are others that want to do it on a volunteer basis,” said Fire Chief Gary Roth.
Barnard is different from other departments around here where generations of committed families remain devoted to the fire department. Brodie Webster 25, just completed training to be a firefighter.
Webster spent nine months in training in Bethel. His class met once a week for four hours and then every other Saturday for eight hours.
“It’s really exhausting,” said Webster.
But it’s something he’s always wanted to do. Seven generations of Websters have lived in Barnard and his family has a history of serving on the fire department.
“It’s kind of what you did when you were growing up in Barnard,” said Webster, who explained the fire department is like a men’s club. “I think it’s mostly our leadership. (Fire Chief Scott Mills) knows what works and what doesn’t work.”
Still, his father shares the concern that the fire chiefs in this area share.
“I don’t know what the answer is. It’s hard for young people to actually stay in Vermont,” said Rock Webster, the captain of the fire department in Barnard, is retiring after 27 years of service.
Rock Webster, 54, says he’s finding it harder to manage his time between his business and the fire department.
“I’m getting older,” he said.
