Local fire departments aim to ‘strike’ up interest at bowling event
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Seven area fire departments will host a community bowling event Saturday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Local fire departments are hoping to “strike” interest in fire service at a bowling event Saturday, May 14. The public is encouraged to meet local firefighters, grab some pizza and bowl at West Pike Bowling in Canonsburg from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
A community bowling day is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, at West Pike Bowl in Canonsburg. Firefighters from seven local fire departments will be on site to bowl and talk with attendees between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Seven area volunteer fire departments are hoping to strike up interest at a community bowling event May 14 at West Pike Bowl in Canonsburg, where folks are invited to send pins flying, grab a slice of pizza and mingle with local firefighters between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“Some of the traditional ways we’ve tried to gain folks – having an open house at the station or being at a festival, or having the billboards up and handing stuff out going through the neighborhoods – it hasn’t been working,” said Canonsburg Fire Chief Tim Solobay. “(We’re trying to) think outside the box, try something different.”
The bowling event doubles as a free afternoon out for the public and a chance to increase the visibility of the Canonsburg, Cecil, Chartiers, Houston, Lawrence, Muse and North Strabane fire departments. Local fire chiefs hope learning about fire service and meeting firefighters sparks in attendees a desire to join a local volunteer department.
“Volunteerism has been declining across the United States for years,” said Noel McMullen, Cecil Township’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator. “The firehouse used to be the hub or the center of the activities in town. Everything revolved around the firehouse. It’s a different society now.”
In the 1970s, Pennsylvania boasted about 300,000 volunteer firefighters. By 2018, that number had dropped to 38,000, according to the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Service Institute.
“As a result, much more mutual aid is being required,” said Chartiers Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Fred Simpson.
While the number of volunteers has decreased, so too has the average time of service.
“The average person staying in a firehouse is five years,” said Mark Grimm, fire chief for North Strabane Fire Department. “They either go to another firehouse or they just move on to something else.”
The seven fire chiefs stressed fire service is more than rushing courageously into burning buildings. Grimm said of the 10 women in his department, four dedicate their time to non-firefighting duties. Simpson noted members wear multiple hats, and McMullen said there is something for everyone at every fire department.
“We got rope rescue. You got water rescue, you got vehicle extrication,” said Stanley “Stush” Sadowski, fire chief for Cecil No. 1 Fire Department in Lawrence, whose wife recently joined the department. “We had to help a handicapped guy get up off the ground. There was nobody around to help him; he called the fire department. So I mean, from the cat in the tree to that, yes, we’ll be there.”
Your local fire department will be there, but they could use a hand or two. The departments are hoping for a good turnout May 14, during which fire equipment, including a shiny fire truck, will be on display for attendees to check out.
At least two members will represent each department, and members are happy to answer questions or chat about life as a volunteer firefighter. Attendees who answer the call to service and register as a volunteer on site receive a free T-shirt and hat – but there’s no pressure.
The event is simply a fun, informative afternoon, a chance for community members to learn how they might give back.
“I think sometimes people are … unaware whether it’s a volunteer department or whether they could actually become part of it. New people moving into the area may come from an area where it was a full career department and there was never those opportunities,” said Solobay.
Even if local firefighters don’t bowl record highs, garnering interest in new membership would be a lucky strike.