As American volunteerism turns the corner after COVID, rural first responder organizations are struggling to find new members.
“Volunteering used to mean helping others with no expectation of anything in return,” said John Bockrath, chief of the Norwood Fire Protection District (NFPD) in remote southwestern Colorado. “The ‘quiet quitting’ that came out of COVID, where workers do the minimum while avoiding anything ‘above and beyond,’ is taking a hit on volunteerism.”
The trend has always been for young people to start fire service and medical careers in their home departments, then leave for more lucrative opportunities in bigger cities while older, often retired residents are left to keep their communities safe. Burnout becomes the bigger problem. Read More…