From the NVFC: According to the U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2010, an annual report that was recently issued by the NFPA, there were 44,000 fewer volunteer firefighters in 2010 compared to 2009, a reduction of 5.4%. The loss of volunteers is primarily coming in communities with populations of 2,500 or fewer, which were protected by 377,550 firefighters in 2010 compared with 408,550 in 2009, a drop of approximately 7.6%.

The report also found that for the seventh year in a row, the percentage of firefighters over the age of 40 serving in communities of 2,500 or less rose. 51.2% of firefighters in our nation’s smallest communities were over 40 in 2010, and fully 28.7% were over the age of 50. The percentage of firefighters over 50 years old serving communities of 2,500 or less has risen every year since 2000, when it stood at 18.9.