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* The Southern Illinoisan’s Gabriel Neely-Streit has a well-written story about the many tough challenges facing volunteer fire departments in the rural south…
“It’s hard to be a non-paid department and get anybody that wants to participate,” Grant said. “Then, if we do get people, we don’t have the proper equipment to give them for them to be safe.”
Throughout Southern Illinois, small town fire chiefs say they’re fighting to recruit and retain volunteers, and to provide expensive and time-consuming training to keep up with stringent state regulations.
Meanwhile, small towns like Buncombe are shrinking, and residents are growing older.
“We’ve had seven people pass away in Buncombe this year,” said Tommy Groner Jr., the town’s assistant fire chief. That means empty houses in town, less taxpayers to support the department, and a smaller pool of potential volunteers.
But as Buncombe’s population decreases, its need remains.
In rural Southern Illinois, having trained firefighters and first responders next door, instead of two towns over, can save lives, local officials say.
Buncombe’s population was just 203 in 2010.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 3:23 pm
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Buncome is south of Carbondale but north of Vienna.
Depopulating Illinois’ southern cone is a multifaceted problem.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 3:35 pm
This is a problem that exists all over Southern IL, and any sparsely populated area. I have been discussing this with several area Chiefs for the last few years. We have no new generation coming in to do these jobs. What few there are, it is difficult to get them to commit to the required training, exercises, and to respond to calls on top of jobs and families. In many areas, firefighters are in their 50s and 60s, I know of a couple in their 80s who still respond and help in anyway they can. But unless we can bring more working people into Southern IL this problem will continue to get worse. I ask of people all the time in relation to this and other volunteer activities, Who will do this in 10 years?. And the usual answer is, I have no idea. We have to restock the area with working people to have a future.
Also as a side note, one of the most dedicated firefighters in the area will be laid to rest tomorrow. Olmsted Fire Chief, Pulaski County Commissioner, and member of several boards passed away over the weekend. Few people have worked harder than he did for his community. He was a great person and will be missed.
Comment by SOIL M Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 3:59 pm
It’s really a shame that a volunteer fire department has to train and maintain safety practices when just sending some guys out in a truck with a hose would probably suffice? /sn
Comment by Dupage Bard Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 4:15 pm
Many of the towns in southern IL require state grants just to maintain a functioning water system, because they can’t afford to do it on their own.
At some point the desire to live in a certain place should be borne by the people who make that choice.
Especially when those same areas are constantly complaining about welfare-queens, and puling oneself up by bootstraps. Although I’m sure they would welcome with open arms a state grant to provide a fire department in their town.
Not all small towns have this problem, but it does seem to be rather concentrated in the places that see all forms of taxation as ‘theft’.
I’m sad to see people are put at risk of life and limb, but this is what their neighbors(and many times themselves) have spent the last few decades deciding their life should consist of.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 4:25 pm
Agree with TIM. Wasn’t the Tea Party supposed to make So IL great agains?
Comment by Deadbeat Conservative Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 5:03 pm
==it does seem to be rather concentrated in the places that see all forms of taxation as ‘theft’.==
I don’t mind tax dollars being shared to provide services in areas that need them. (I certainly benefit from this.) What I would like to see is the political leaders who make political hay on what they know to be false to either stop doing it or be called out on the misdirection every single time by the local media.
Maybe the Comptroller’s office could create a map showing each county’s annual return on state taxes +/- We could then require every elected state-wide official and GA member to have a large poster of that map behind them whenever they talk about the budget.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 5:26 pm
Fire doesn’t care about your needs of political revenge. It doesn’t care if you see it as an “us” and “them” problem.
We need to save Illinois when fires threaten it.
Find the ability to meet this need and quit enjoying the schadenfreud.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 5:33 pm
InvisibleMan. You are right. As a side note. This is my displeasure over brick and mortar stores and on line shopping. Man its tough on those local sales tax and property tax roles that support these types of functions.
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 5:34 pm
The inflation on fire equipment costs is ridiculous and has outpaced general inflation, let alone tax growth. And yes, professional firefighters in general detest volunteers who occupy jobs that could otherwise be volunteer or paid-on-call and have pushed for the regulations that make it more difficult. Add in the usual busier lives and pepper in the loss of sense of community and the volunteer departments are going to be a thing of the past sooner than later. Others will say County-wide or even larger regional departments are the way to go to spread the cost of this very expensive equipment (not to mention wages, pensions and training) are the way to go, but consolidation also means fewer jobs and fewer opportunities for promotion, so there is a certain powerful lobby that will forever fight this….
Comment by Shemp Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 6:10 pm
There doesn’t seem to be any problem finding volunteers for the Morrison rural fire department in Whiteside county. It’s a macho good old boys club. If you join, you get a cool mini-license plate for you car, and a light to slap on and be able to speed legally. The only problem is that the Morrison Fire Department is activated by Sheriff’s dispatch only, which it totally corrupt. If you get dispatcher Ellen Anderson, legend has it they will slow-walk the call and let your house burn down, Klan style. Professional forces cost more, but are more accountable.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 10:15 pm
Pot calling kettle— The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute has created the maps you suggest in Appendix A of this report:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=ppi_papers
Comment by Red Eft Monday, Dec 10, 18 @ 10:39 pm
-Who will do this in 10 years?. And the usual answer is, I have no idea. We have to restock the area with working people to have a future.-
Refugees.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 6:14 am
==At some point the desire to live in a certain place should be borne by the people who make that choice.==
I disagree. While the statement might be based on a desire for fairness, civilizations aren’t about being fair, they are about providing for everyone’s needs. Everyone can’t pull their own weight, everyone can’t work, and everyone can’t live in more efficient urban areas.
“From each according to his ability to each according to his need.” Karl Marx and Vanilla Man are right.
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 6:27 am
Nobody cares about the fire department, until they need the fire department…
This is a critical need across downstate IL. A compounding issue is that the threat matrix for many of these rural volunteer departments has shifted away from the structure fires they have been training to fight and toward natural disasters, transportation and hazardous materials responses, and wildland firefighting - all of which place increased needs on departments in terms of training, equipment, and manpower.
While this is viewed as a local issue, running a department on a pittance is a common theme. There are several underlying issues.
Safety is not a political question, but is forced to by by the restraints of PTELL in rural counties, lack of small state grant programs due to budget impasses, and having many fire protection district boards that are not directly elected, but rather appointed by their county board can make for an entirely unaccountable layer of management. Unfortunately, these political questions have real impacts on the many rural FPD’s across Illinois.
If any incoming decision makers happen across this post, incorporating a one-time boost in grant funding, as well as funding the ambulance and fire station construction revolving loan funds as part of an infrastructure package would be a great plan. Most of these small grant programs equal $10k-$20k per department with a program appropriation of a few million. Budget 40 or 50 million one time to help bring whats left of these departments back into the fold. Glad to see a good article focusing attention on a major issue.
Thanks,
A 17 year small town volunteer
Comment by Midstate Indy Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 6:52 am
The pension obligations have and are forcing many small departments to do away with paid staff. When you have legal limits to what you can tax and an already exhausted tax base, you can’t pay the benefits required by IL law.
I am afraid we have yet another new governor coming in that wants to tax and spend trying to pave his way to the White House rather than have an adult conversation about what we can afford and what are vital services.
Comment by the Patriot Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 8:40 am
the Patriot
Pension costs have absolutely nothing to do with volunteer rural fire departments. Rural areas will always have volunteers.
==trying to pave his way to the White House ==
Oh please. Is this nonsense going to start already. Stop it.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 8:50 am
Two pedantic points - while the original article refers to “southern” Illinois, this is an issue for most of rural Illinois. Perhaps the term “downstate” acknowledges the geographic spread, but seriously, one does not have to get too far “down” the state to see this problem. Second - grant funding is not always a practical solution. Some of these departments lack the eligibility to apply for grant funds because they are so completely volunteer and their municipality or government entity does not necessarily support their desire to apply for funds. In addition, they usually lack the expertise or time to understand and complete the usually complex forms for application and - this is no small part of any grant award - the management and accountability for the funds.
Comment by Morningstar Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 8:52 am
–Da Big Bad Wolf–
I agree with you. I’m simply pointing out that this is the end result of what many of these people have been voting for.
Would I prefer it to be better, and their basic needs met? Yes.
Can I stop someone from punching themselves in the face? No.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 9:21 am
I’m not sure who “Shemp” is referring to when he/she says a “powerful lobby that will fight this forever”. The Associated Firefighters of Illinois have had a Consolidation Committee for years. They actually are in favor of consolidation and will pay for an initial feasibility study to interested municipalities and fire protection districts. . Shemp clearly has an axe to grind (see what I did there?) but the decline of volunteer firefighters is a national problem not just Southern Illinois.
Comment by AFFI MEMBER Tuesday, Dec 11, 18 @ 9:37 am