National Volunteer Week (NVW) runs from 20–26 April 2025.
Volunteers now make up 65 percent of America’s 1.04 million‑strong fire‑fighting force, yet their ranks have shrunk by over 220,000 since 1984.
NVW gives departments a set time to thank the people who still turn out and to reverse a decline that directly affects public safety.
In 1984 the National Fire Protection Association recorded almost 898,000 volunteer firefighters.
By 2020 that figure had fallen to 676,900, the lowest since the survey began.
During the same period the U.S. population rose by roughly 95 million and annual incident calls tripled.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) estimates that volunteers still save local governments about $46.9 billion each year in avoided staffing costs, training, and pensions.
When volunteer numbers slip, communities either pay significantly more for career coverage or tolerate longer response times—sometimes both.
NVW’s first purpose is appreciation.
Departments that mark the week with formal commendations, family picnics, and local‑media shout‑outs report noticeably higher morale, according to NVFC post‑event surveys.
Recognition alone, however, does not keep people on the roster.
The NVFC recommends coupling thanks with tangible benefits, the simplest being an organisational NVFC membership.
At $24 per volunteer, the package supplies a $10,000 accidental‑death‑and‑dismemberment policy, unlimited access to the First Responder Helpline, and free entry to the NVFC Virtual Classroom.
Departments can bulk‑purchase memberships, standardising cover while spending less than the cost of a single turnout coat.
North River Fire District in Florida offers a useful case study.
In 2023 it embedded counsellors and therapy dogs in station life, funded peer‑support training, and promoted the NVFC helpline to families.
Within a year, turnover fell and recruitment cycles shortened.
Chief Robert Sicking credits “normalising conversation about stress” as a decisive factor.
The story underlines a wider truth identified in the NVFC/APA “Psychologically Healthy Fire Department” toolkit: behavioural‑health resources measurably extend volunteer tenure.
The second purpose of NVW is outreach.
NVFC’s free “Make Me A Firefighter” campaign supplies departments with ready‑made posters, social graphics, a lead‑capture portal, and event guides.
Because departments enter opportunities directly into the site, would‑be volunteers can search by postcode instead of cold‑calling the station.
The system also gives chiefs hard data—how many people clicked, applied, or dropped out—so they can refine messages.
Federal money is available.
FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programme set aside $360 million in FY 2023, with 10 percent reserved exclusively for volunteer recruitment and retention projects.
Successful applicants can pay for stipends, marketing, tuition assistance, or child‑care subsidies—all of which have been shown to widen the candidate pool.
When North River adopted a 24/7 helpline, mandatory critical‑incident debriefs, and a therapy‑dog programme, annual resignations dropped by roughly 15 percent.
Similar benefits now form part of every new‑member briefing, reinforcing a culture of open conversation around stress.
A four‑year SAFER grant awarded in 2019 allowed Ringing Hill to build a website, launch targeted social media, and pay for part‑time administrative support.
Within 18 months the company had added 27 volunteers—enough to restore a second‑out engine during daytime hours.
Two township departments tested a $12‑per‑hour on‑call stipend, funded initially through a local levy and now awaiting a SAFER extension.
Early results show four‑person weekday crews where one or two had been the norm, cutting average turnout times by nearly two minutes.
OSHA’s proposed emergency‑response standard, published in late 2024, would require quarterly skills drills, formal exposure tracking, and documented behavioural‑health plans.
NVFC testimony warns that most small volunteer departments lack the capacity to meet these demands without external help.
Aligning NVW recognition and recruitment drives with grant applications is therefore a strategic, not symbolic, exercise.
National Volunteer Week gives chiefs a calendar anchor: seven days when community attention is easier to capture and volunteer achievements are naturally newsworthy.
If leaders use the moment to invest—through NVFC memberships that provide concrete benefits, mental‑health resources that improve retention, and structured campaigns like “Make Me A Firefighter” that attract applicants—they address both sides of the staffing equation.
Add a well‑timed SAFER application, and the week’s impact can extend for years.
The statistics are unambiguous: America has fewer volunteer firefighters today than at any point in the past four decades, yet still relies on them for most emergency responses.
NVW is a chance to turn appreciation into action before that gap widens further.
