Capital Region Firefighter Recruitment Campaign Yields 71 Volunteers in Year One

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Just one year after 21 Capital Region fire companies banded together to address the shortage of first responders, the committee that organized the effort has a milestone to celebrate: the addition of 71 new volunteer firefighters. This figure represents 21 more than its annual goal of 50 new recruits.

The recruitment initiative was the brainchild of leaders within the Capital Region Council of Governments (CapCOG), a voluntary collective body which united 21 fire companies within the East Shore, West Shore and Capital Region under the umbrella of the www.CapitalRegionFirefighter.org recruitment campaign.

The campaign, funded by a four-year Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), comes at no cost to local taxpayers.

"When volunteer fire companies and municipalities work together toward a common vision, good things can happen," said Jerry Ozog, member of the CapCOG Advisory Committee and Executive Director of Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute.

Since the April 27, 2022 launch of www.CapitalRegionFirefighter.org, the recruitment campaign has been kept top-of-mind through residential mailings, media campaigns and outreach.

"Each of the 21 companies has found its own unique way to share the campaign message within their community. All in all, this has been a strong collaborative effort with a positive result," said Scott Ryno, Program Manager of the SAFER grant.

Ryno emphasizes that the first step for anyone who is inspired is to visit the recruitment website.

WWW.CapitalRegionFirefighter.org provides a centralized location to learn about ways to volunteer, read frequently asked questions and to identify your closest fire company.

No experience is required to apply, and all training and equipment are provided to the volunteers free of charge.

"It is really rewarding seeing the people that you get to save and protect and knowing that you can help your community in a meaningful way," said Zach Leitzel, a new volunteer at New Kingstown Fire Company.

Not all recruitment is geared towards fighting fires, in fact, plenty of the new volunteers assist the community in non-emergency roles.

CapCOG aims to surpass its goal of 50 volunteers once again and to continue to provide the highest level of emergency response.

"Our dedicated volunteer firefighters provide needed community service and this use of federal dollars proves local recruitment efforts are working," said Ozog.

To learn more about the recruitment campaign, please visit http://CapitalRegionFirefighter.org.

SOURCE The Communication Solutions Group