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Volunteer fire departments that protect communities year-round are struggling to recruit new members, prompting a nationwide effort aimed at attracting Gen Z.

Depending on the location, volunteers make up between 60% and 80% of a community’s firefighters, according to Shawn Stokes, chief of the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department and an officer with the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

The association has launched “A Hustle Worth Having,” a campaign that gives departments social media content and marketing materials designed to connect with prospective volunteers in their 20s.

“That’s really a core demographic that we’re looking for,” Stokes said. “A big part of the program is to provide tools for us to be able to identify with and be attractive to the newer generation.”

Recruitment has become increasingly difficult as people lead busier lives and often work far from where they live. That can leave departments particularly short of firefighters and emergency medical personnel during daytime hours.

Stokes recently saw a video in which a lone firefighter arrived at a mobile home fire, pulled and charged a hose, and began attacking the flames without anyone else there to help.

Although volunteer fire service has deep roots in the D.C. region, career firefighters and EMTs now handle most calls locally. Stokes said departments in rural areas, including western Virginia and Maryland, face greater vulnerability.

Across much of the country, he said, fire engines cannot respond unless volunteers report for duty.

Kim Burns, a Dunn Loring EMT and full-time United Airlines pilot, understands that reliance firsthand. Her North Dakota hometown depended on volunteer firefighters, and she saw their work help a relative live what she believes was an additional year and a half.

Becoming a volunteer firefighter requires extensive preparation. Training in Fairfax County can take as long as 18 months, after which volunteers hold the same qualifications as career firefighters. Volunteers typically contribute 250 to 300 hours annually.

“This isn’t, ‘I get a certification, and then two or three times a year I show up and ride a fire truck,’” Stokes said. Members must keep their skills current and remain consistently committed, making the service more of a lifestyle than an occasional activity.

Despite those demands, volunteers say the work offers a rare opportunity to support people during emergencies.

“You are the person there to help somebody on their worst day,” Stokes said. “Nobody calls 911 because something isn’t wrong.”

Burns said responders can provide more than physical care. They can also offer reassurance and dignity to patients and their families.

For volunteer fire officer Michael Van Dyke, the role was a chance to step away from desk work and contribute directly to his community.

“It was an opportunity to give back,” he said.