Firefighter Manpower

Firefighters work to put out a spontaneous combustion hay fire in Cache Valley Utah.

When a hay fire spontaneously combusts on the farm, who are you gonna call? The fire department. In Cache County Utah the majority of agricultural fires are routed to the county department which handles rural areas. Cache County Fire Department has 14 stations operating to protect the valley. Nationally, there are an estimated 1.1M firefighters working across the country. Without these heroes, the rage of a spontaneous combustion hay fire would be unstoppable.

When a spontaneous combustion hay fire ignites, there is mainly one option, let it burn. Firefighters line the landscape with hoses shooting water to protect the rest of the property. They work tirelessly to calm the flames and watch with as much control as the environment will lend them to keep it from spreading. Depending on the size of the fuel (in this case, the haystack) the firefighters could labor for hours or days. 


A great problem and expense to the farmer will be the cleanup once the fire has burned itself out. This process often takes weeks and is encouraged as the farmer must pay to remove what is left behind. Allowing the ruined stack to burn into ash will reduce the amount of waste to remove. The response time of the fire department will also reduce damaged property as a quick response will likely limit the fire's impact.


Rural communities need access to firefighters, yet the midwest has the fewest number of departments in the nation. The shortage of firefighters can be directly linked to wages. Federally, firefighters make less than an entry-level position at Chick-fil-A, however, firefighting is strenuous and dangerous. The current administration has pledged to raise the wages of firefighters and hopefully increase staffing for these agencies. 


The average firefighter is a white (75%) man (83%) in his 30s. Their average starting salary is only $27k annually while our favorite drive-thru chicken establishment averages $34k for a new employee. Almost a third of these men have a bachelor's degree with (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) an earning potential of $76,284. Clearly, these people aren’t engaging in firefighting because of the money. Civil Service Success teaches that they seek to participate in “one of the most rewarding and noble professions in the world. Not only do you get to save people’s lives, but you also become responsible for maintaining order in emergencies. A firefighter has to be a valiant risk-taker, critical thinker, and quick decision-maker.”


The culture of character developed in this profession is unique. Without valiant men and women risking their well-being to serve the community, fires like those created by spontaneous combustion hay, would cause a great loss of life and property. 



References


A. (2021, September 15). 8 Reasons to Become a Firefighter. Civil Service Success. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.civilservicesuccess.com/8-reasons-to-become-a-firefighter/#:%7E:text=Firefighting%20is%20one%20of%20the,%2C%20and%20quick%20decision%2Dmaker.


Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, January). News Release (USDL-22-0078). USUAL WEEKLY EARNINGS OF WAGE AND SALARY WORKERS FOURTH QUARTER 2021. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf


Fireman Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Firemans In The US. (2021, December 14). Zippia. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.zippia.com/fireman-jobs/demographics/


Wertz, J. (2021, July 16). As Wildfires Get Worse, So Are Firefighter Shortages. Climate Change And Low Pay Aren’t Helping. Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.cpr.org/2021/07/01/colorado-wildfires-climate-change-firefighter-shortage-pay/


U.S. Fire Administration. (2022, March 16). National Fire Department Registry Quick Facts. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://apps.usfa.fema.gov/registry/summary


Access denied | www.firedepartment.net used Cloudflare to restrict access. (2022). Fire Department. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.firedepartment.net/directory/utah/cache-county


Gunnell, D. G. (21–11-29). Silversage Farm Fire [Photograph]. Firefighters Putting Out Flames.

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