COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine unveiled Thursday a new task force aimed at improving the state's volunteer fire service.
Aptly named the "Ohio Task Force on Volunteer Fire Service," it's designed to find the reason behind the current shortage of volunteer firefighters and offer solutions.
"Many of these volunteer service departments are in jeopardy," DeWine said.
The State Fire Marshal found that more than half of all the fire departments in Ohio are volunteer operated, and 70% rely on volunteers in some way.
"We have seen a downward decline in what we would see as the total number of volunteers in the department," Whitehouse Fire Chief Joshua Hartbarger said.
The Whitehouse Fire Department isn't solely run on volunteer firefighters, but they do rely on some, and Hartbarger said the list of them isn't long though.
There's not a clear reason for the shortage, Hartbarger said, but everyone has their own ideas.
"It is a skill trade industry that were faced with and I think across the board we've seen the number of skill trade laborers on a decline," he said.
DeWine said that while the number of volunteers is going down, call volume is going up.
"Fire services costs and responsibilities continue to increase, as do the number of calls which are putting a strain on our departments," he said Thursday.
Hartbarger said he's hopeful, and this task force is a step in the right direction.
"With what the governor has looked at, with what the fire marshal has looked at inevitably, we need change. We have to figure out what the root of the problem is and why it exists," Hartbarger said.
The task force will be made up of the State Fire Marshal, mayors, city and fire officials. They will take a deeper dive into recruitment of volunteers, financial stability of departments and more.