Volunteer firefighters across generations
The Spark: Wildfire Preparedness is Year-Round
Volunteer fire departments have lost nearly a quarter of their members since 2008. At the same time, call volume has exploded. This hits home in New Mexico, where 77% of fire departments are all volunteer.
This month's edition of The Spark bulletin dives into our rural state's venerable tradition of volunteer firefighting, which often falls to spouses, siblings, parents and their children to keep rural fire stations running.
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When the Tusas Fire roiled up north of Las Vegas, New Mexico, mid-April, Amber Ivanowski, 16, was one of the first two firefighters on scene, running hose lines and putting out hot spots to keep the blaze from spreading. She and Tony Vigil of the Gallinas Volunteer Fire Company kept the fire from jumping a highway and heading toward houses.
"It was just us and the fire pushing straight toward us," said Amber, a junior firefighter with the Sapello-Rociada-San Ignacio Volunteer Fire Company (SRSIVFC).
Amber joined SRSIVFC at 14, carrying on a family tradition. Her grandfather Michael McAdams was a volunteer firefighter with SRSIVFC for 15 years. He coaxed Amber's mom, Marian McAdams, into joining the fire company in 1989, and she also became an EMT. Although Amber didn't have a chance to meet her dad before he died, "stories about him and firefighting keep his memory alive," Marian said.
SRSIVFC fire apparatus. Photo credit: SRSIVFC.
Volunteer firefighting is a calling often passed down through generations around New Mexico. Our largely rural state relies heavily on volunteers to respond to fires, car crashes, and other emergencies in remote areas. Volunteers are usually first on scene and in sparsely populated areas, it often falls to spouses, siblings, parents and their children to keep rural fire stations running.
Marian left firefighting for a few years to care for her mom. Then, a counselor helped Amber get into the junior firefighting camp at Sheridan, and she "fell in love with it," she said. Amber begged her mom to rejoin SRSIVFC so she could become a junior firefighter. Marian did, and while she couldn't respond to many calls at first while caregiving, she trusted the other members of the SRSIVFC – like Fire Chief Marcy Silva and her husband Manuel Silva – to train Amber and keep her safe. However, Amber, a Robertson High School senior, is still too young to drive fire rigs or enter burning structures; she has to be 18.
"My biggest challenge is not being able to help in every situation, when I want to," Amber said.
Marian appreciates the time she gets to spend working side by side with her daughter, and plans to remain a volunteer firefighter as long as she's able, "to help the community and protect the resources we have left." Amber, who plans to become a game warden, said no matter where she ends up, she'll be a volunteer firefighter.
The mother-daughter team's commitment to volunteer firefighting is vital. Marian said there used to be plenty of volunteers. That has changed in the last 20 years. It is increasingly hard for volunteer fire departments across the U.S. to recruit and retain members. Amber said showing young people the variety of skills they can learn as volunteer firefighters and connecting that to their lives and potential careers could help.
"We need more to join."
LEARN MORE
- On average, the volunteer fire service has lost 12,000 volunteer firefighters a year since 2008.
- 62% of all firefighters in the United States were volunteers as of 2023.
- In New Mexico, 77% of fire departments are all volunteer and 9.6% are mostly volunteer.
- While the number of volunteer firefighters has decreased by more than 130,000 volunteers since 2010, the number of calls to volunteer fire departments has increased by more than 14 million in the same time period.
- The average age of volunteer firefighters is increasing, especially in rural areas.
- Volunteer firefighters are often first on the scene of wildfires, structure fires, vehicle accidents, overdoses and other emergencies, especially in rural areas.
ACTION ITEMS
- Join your local volunteer fire department or call and find out how you can help.
- See recommendations for recruiting and retaining volunteers from a recent NFPA sponsored survey.
The Spark: Wildfire Preparedness is Year Round is a joint production of the Forest Stewards Guild, Bureau of Land Management - New Mexico, New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute, New Mexico Forestry Division, U.S. Forest Service, and Fire Adapted NM Learning Network. Learn more and read past issues at facnm.org.
