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Immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks there was an outpouring of support and goodwill. People across the country pulled together in ways both big and small. They wrote checks, volunteered with the Red Cross, gave blood and gave hugs to strangers. But beyond the hundreds of hours of volunteering and fundraising, some people wanted to do more. They felt inspired or called to serve.
Throughout the nation, interest in fire protection careers and the military saw a sudden spike. Patrick Love, Poudre Fire Authority captain of public affairs, said the phenomenon trickled out from New York, where it was most acute, all the way to California, hitting big cities and small towns all along the way. Fort Collins was no exception.
The department doesn’t track the number of applications it receives, but Love remembers there were a lot more calls from people wanting to join the department compared to other years.
“As far as immediately after, the inquires for this career track in fire service did take an up-tick,” Love said. “It was mostly anecdotal. It was the same upturn for the military. ... Interest definitely rose.”
At the time, Love also led a fund drive for the FDNY firefighters. He remembers the tremendous support. Even people who didn’t give money gave in other ways. He said several people brought in meals and baked goods for firefighters and wrote letters of condolence because of the heightened level of awareness about firefighters dedication to a dangerous job.
But seven years later, Love said much of the interest has tapered off. The same is true nationwide.
“Anecdotally, for the first six months to a year after Sept. 11, there did seem to be an increased interest (in fire protection careers), but it went back down to what we were seeing before. It wasn’t sustained in any way,” said Mary Beth Michos, deputy executive director for the International Association of Fire Chiefs, which represents the leadership of over 1.2 million firefighters and emergency responders.
In her 30 years in the fire service, Michos said this was the only time she recalls seeing this type of trend and attributes it to the magnitude of the event. However, she wasn’t surprised that the interest died down a bit years later.
“I think it’s like everything else. While it’s fresh on everybody’s mind, the interest is there, but like everything else related to Sept. 11, it plateaued over time,” she said.
Michos said the current landscape for the fire service industry is varied. Faced with tight economic times, some departments around the country may be faced with layoffs or the freezing of positions. In other areas there is active recruitment taking place particularly for women and paramedics. Overall though, numbers of firefighters is steadily increasing.
In 2001 the National Fire Protection Association reported 1,078,300 firefighters in the United States, up from 1,064,150 in 2000. In 2006 the total number was 1,140,900. Volunteer firefighters increased from 777,350 in 2000 to 784,700 in 2001 and then 816,600 in 2002. However, the number of volunteer firefighters was on a decline prior to Sept. 11, 2001 and was still lower after that compared to the early ’80s. That’s why Michos said there needs to be stronger education programs for fire services.
Even so, fire services remains highly attractive.
Denis Onieal, superintendent of the U.S. National Fire Academy, said the industry remains extremely competitive.
“Fire departments continue to have far more applicants than there are positions available—the competition is tremendous. While perhaps there might be more interest, considering local government budgets, I’m not sure that there are more positions available,” he said in an email.
About 600 applications were submitted to Poudre Fire Authority last spring, 300 of which moved forward in the intense hiring process. In order to be eligible, Love said applicants must have a minimum of 60 college credits and have their EMT certification. The next steps include a written test, a physical agility test and a series of interviews and background checks. In 2007 the department hired seven firefighters. So far this year, the department has hired an additional four. Typically the department tests for entry level firefighters every two years, however they may extend that out until 2010.
“Getting into the fire service is definitely competitive by its nature,” Love said. “PFA has been known for a number of years to be a destination department. People strive to get into it so they can work as much of their career with PFA as possible. There’s a lot of good departments in the state, however PFA for a number of reasons is sought after.”
Onieal said one of the best opportunities for someone to enter the fire service is to become a certified paramedic because EMS continues to be an area of growth. He speculates there will be an increased need for EMS professionals in the near future.
Throughout the nation, interest in fire protection careers and the military saw a sudden spike. Patrick Love, Poudre Fire Authority captain of public affairs, said the phenomenon trickled out from New York, where it was most acute, all the way to California, hitting big cities and small towns all along the way. Fort Collins was no exception.
The department doesn’t track the number of applications it receives, but Love remembers there were a lot more calls from people wanting to join the department compared to other years.
“As far as immediately after, the inquires for this career track in fire service did take an up-tick,” Love said. “It was mostly anecdotal. It was the same upturn for the military. ... Interest definitely rose.”
At the time, Love also led a fund drive for the FDNY firefighters. He remembers the tremendous support. Even people who didn’t give money gave in other ways. He said several people brought in meals and baked goods for firefighters and wrote letters of condolence because of the heightened level of awareness about firefighters dedication to a dangerous job.
But seven years later, Love said much of the interest has tapered off. The same is true nationwide.
“Anecdotally, for the first six months to a year after Sept. 11, there did seem to be an increased interest (in fire protection careers), but it went back down to what we were seeing before. It wasn’t sustained in any way,” said Mary Beth Michos, deputy executive director for the International Association of Fire Chiefs, which represents the leadership of over 1.2 million firefighters and emergency responders.
In her 30 years in the fire service, Michos said this was the only time she recalls seeing this type of trend and attributes it to the magnitude of the event. However, she wasn’t surprised that the interest died down a bit years later.
“I think it’s like everything else. While it’s fresh on everybody’s mind, the interest is there, but like everything else related to Sept. 11, it plateaued over time,” she said.
Michos said the current landscape for the fire service industry is varied. Faced with tight economic times, some departments around the country may be faced with layoffs or the freezing of positions. In other areas there is active recruitment taking place particularly for women and paramedics. Overall though, numbers of firefighters is steadily increasing.
In 2001 the National Fire Protection Association reported 1,078,300 firefighters in the United States, up from 1,064,150 in 2000. In 2006 the total number was 1,140,900. Volunteer firefighters increased from 777,350 in 2000 to 784,700 in 2001 and then 816,600 in 2002. However, the number of volunteer firefighters was on a decline prior to Sept. 11, 2001 and was still lower after that compared to the early ’80s. That’s why Michos said there needs to be stronger education programs for fire services.
Even so, fire services remains highly attractive.
Denis Onieal, superintendent of the U.S. National Fire Academy, said the industry remains extremely competitive.
“Fire departments continue to have far more applicants than there are positions available—the competition is tremendous. While perhaps there might be more interest, considering local government budgets, I’m not sure that there are more positions available,” he said in an email.
About 600 applications were submitted to Poudre Fire Authority last spring, 300 of which moved forward in the intense hiring process. In order to be eligible, Love said applicants must have a minimum of 60 college credits and have their EMT certification. The next steps include a written test, a physical agility test and a series of interviews and background checks. In 2007 the department hired seven firefighters. So far this year, the department has hired an additional four. Typically the department tests for entry level firefighters every two years, however they may extend that out until 2010.
“Getting into the fire service is definitely competitive by its nature,” Love said. “PFA has been known for a number of years to be a destination department. People strive to get into it so they can work as much of their career with PFA as possible. There’s a lot of good departments in the state, however PFA for a number of reasons is sought after.”
Onieal said one of the best opportunities for someone to enter the fire service is to become a certified paramedic because EMS continues to be an area of growth. He speculates there will be an increased need for EMS professionals in the near future.
Firefighters in the United States
Year Total Career firefighters Volunteer firefighters 1983 1,111,200 226,600 884,600 1984 1,129,350 231,600 897,750 1985 1,077,950 238,500 839,450 1986 1,045,950 237,750 808,200 1987 1,060,000 243,200 816,800 1988 1,040,750 252,500 788,250 1989 1,020,700 250,600 770,100 1990 1,025,650 253,000 772,650 1991 1,033,600 261,800 771,800 1992 1,058,300 253,000 805,300 1993 1,055,050 259,650 795,400 1994 1,073,600 265,700 807,900 1995 1,098,850 260,850 838,000 1996 1,081,800 266,300 815,500 1997 1,079,050 275,700 803,350 1998 1,082,500 278,300 804,200 1999 1,065,150 279,900 785,250 2000 1,064,150 286,800 777,350 2001 1,078,300 293,600 784,700 2002 1,108,250 291,650 816,600 2003 1,096,900 296,850 800,050 2004 1,100,750 305,150 795,600 2005 1,136,650 313,300 823,650 2006 1,140,900 316,950 823,950 Source: National Fire Protection Association |
