Fire departments across the nation are facing staffing shortages and, according to the National Fire Protection Association, the total number of firefighters in the U.S. in 2020 was the lowest it has been in nearly three decades.
Like a lot of departments, Clark County Fire is hiring, but local searches have not brought in the numbers the department needs, so now the search is expanding elsewhere.
"The numbers are trending down from a recruitment standpoint everywhere in the country. I really don’t have an exact answer for it," said Clark County Assistant Fire Chief Mack Travis.
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Clark County Fire Department has more than 800 personnel and is looking to hire another 200 in the next two years.
A lot of firefighters retired early during the pandemic, and Clark County still has not fully recovered.
"At any point, we can have a third of our department ready for retirement at a 20-year mark, so we try to be proactive as much as we can in terms of filling those positions," Travis said.
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Now, Clark County is looking to other states for their next recruits.
"Oftentimes, going outside the state and other places, getting creative with recruitment efforts is going to help what we’re trying to do because we just don’t have enough people here locally to fill all of our spots," Travis said.
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Filling open positions is even more difficult in the fire service because those interested can't become a firefighter overnight. In many cases, weekslong recruit school is required in order order to join and there can be additional trainings and certifications that need to be completed too.
"Any public safety job is a job you can’t just replace people tomorrow. It’s a process. And because [of] that process, normally the fastest it can happen is six months, it can take anywhere from a year to two years," Travis explained.
That includes five months of tough training.
"I have been pushed mentally and physically past what I have been capable of achieving and it’s been a really great blessing to go through this process," said recruit Heidi Fronk.
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The Clark County Fire Department is recruiting for next year’s trainees through Nov. 28. For more information, visit joinccfd.org.
