Volunteer Blues

Published on February 11, 2026

Learn from experts about the challenges, solutions, and new research surrounding the ongoing exodus of volunteer firefighters in the U.S.

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The Volunteer Crisis

February 10, 2026
Volunteer firefighters are the backbone of the U.S. emergency response system, but since 2008, nearly 200,000 volunteers have left the fire service, a drop of almost 25 percent. To make things worse, calls to fire departments have increased about 70 percent since 2008, leaving the firefighters who remain to do much more with much less. Despite all of this, little research has been done to find the

One Spark

February 12, 2026
A century ago, a single spark ignited a fire in Newport, Arkansas, that destroyed 325 buildings and reshaped the community forever.