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It seems that OSHA and the firefighters’ union are waging war against volunteer firefighters. Some time ago, a new set of proposed regulations came out that will likely affect volunteer firefighters more than any other group. Volunteer firefighters in the town of Windsor, Maine, published these conclusions about the new regulations. Many such quotes are available online.
“Some firefighters will be physically unable to continue under the proposed regulations. Some firefighters would be unwilling or unable to continue to volunteer their time due to the stringent requirements. Some firefighters will simply decide to retire from the fire service completely. Those remaining firefighters who are still willing to serve will need to dedicate significantly more hours to do much more training than what is currently required,” the Windsor department members wrote.
“These regulations are going to significantly change the face of the fire service as we know it. Many small fire departments will simply be forced to close their doors permanently and attempt to contract with other fire departments who would already be feeling the effects of reduced manpower,” they continued. “This circumstance would have an impact on increased response times, a larger response area to be covered and at a greater cost and higher insurance rates to the taxpayer.”
Now we are planning, in Springfield, a large, white elephant fire house. If we lose even a few of our volunteers and we are required as the center of a regional fire district to man the station 24/7, then we will have no option but to hire professionals at around $54,000 a year. Or, like other communities, charge the home owners for every call to the firefighters from a few hundred to possibly thousands of dollars per call.
We will be much better off as a substation for another district and repairing the old station with grant funds.
Bill Mitchell
Springfield
