A Dire Public Safety Nightmare is Looming in Tennessee

A critical public safety infrastructure crisis is looming in Tennessee, and while many are silent or just simply unaware, the problem is reaching a breaking-point. Nationwide, a critical shortage of volunteer firefighters is impacting communities, and Tennessee is also facing the brute of this. In addition, other volunteer emergency response agencies, such as rescue squads, are reeling from the effects of this.

Many may be unaware that many fire departments don’t just handle fires, but they are a vital component of our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. Often, firefighters are cross-trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and will respond to medical emergencies to provide life-saving care to the critically ill or injured until ambulance crews arrive on scene and assume care. Many volunteer fire departments and rescue squads have taken this responsibility as a way to improve pre-hospital emergency care and increase survival outcomes. This shortage of volunteers also harms the EMS system here in Tennessee.

Five hundred of the nearly seven hundred fire departments in Tennessee are ran by volunteers. These roles require rigorous, extensive training demands and time away from loved ones. With increased life demands along with many having to work multiple full-time jobs to make ends-meet, this could potentially be a culprit to explain the dire shortage of willing volunteers. Others have different reasons why there has been a significant drop in volunteers.

I spoke with a fire chief and a state employee whose identity is being withheld for privacy concerns. This person claims younger generations just do not have the motivation or desire to become volunteer firefighters. This person led a junior firefighter programs for high school students with hope these opportunities would inspire teens to pursue opportunities in the fire service. Instead, upon handing these teens a radio and a uniform, their participation began to fade within just weeks. In addition, the chief explained many of the rescue squads in his area had zero volunteers, prompting the EMA director for that area to hire a handful of qualified employees to assume these roles. The chief claimed the most viable approach at this point is to consider county-wide fire and rescue services with paid employees, either regularly-paid or paid-by-call.

Tennessee has seen an explosive growth in population over recent years, making the state the fifteenth most populous in the nation. A 2023 report by the Rural Health Research and Policy Centers found that 97.9 percent of Tennessee’s counties had ambulance deserts, where an ambulance can be 25 or more minutes away during a medical emergency, placing Tennessee as 13th worst place for ambulance deserts. Data from the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s office shows that nearly 42 percent of Tennessee’s fire departments have an economic classification status of either “At-Risk” or “Distressed”. As the crisis continues to spiral out-of-control, little is being done to sound the alarm.

With an increase of severe weather events, an increased population growth, a high prevalence of mass violence, and with sociopolitical tensions very high, our emergency responders are more valuable than ever. Prevention and subduing active assailants are some actions of importance, but responding to the critically injured or putting out fires once they start are aspects of public safety that are just as crucial.

State and local leaders must take prompt, effective action to address this crisis. It is not a matter of “if” catastrophe occurs but “when”. We must keep up with the rising demands of our public safety infrastructure, and attitudes must shift on the way we view and consider all of our emergency responders.