Firefighters and police are five times more likely than the overall population to develop PTSD and depression, yet only about 4 percent of departments have suicide prevention programs.
Longer working hours, longer commutes and the rise of dual-income households have left less time for volunteering.
There is new legislation in the works that would allow volunteer fire companies to bill for the cost of their emergency response.
Harrisburg fire chief Brian Enterline called the current laws “archaic,” adding that in the last 40 years, firefighters’ jobs have not gotten easier, nor have workloads gotten lighter. And the state relief association money can’t be used to entice potential paid firefighters.