South Jersey Fire Company Uses Summer Camp to Highlight Need for Volunteer Firefighters

A South Jersey summer camp is enabling teens to gain a firsthand perspective about the life of a first responder.

The Almonesson Lake Fire Company in Deptford offered a free, three-day fire service summer camp for kids ages 12 to 15. Camp participants received hands-on training with everything from rolling fire hose lines to practicing emergency communications.

CBS News Philadelphia spoke with one participant, 16-year-old Jordan Blakney. "It's fun for me, learning about how the firefighters work," he said. "Considering how they have to go into burning buildings to rescue people, I think it's very good."

Beyond learning how to handle firefighting equipment, the campers also build connections with one another and develop enduring skills such as teamwork and leadership.

Organizers said the camp's goal is to spark a passion for fire service careers early and help fire companies like Almonesson Lake highlight a national shortage in volunteer firefighters. They're already planning for an expanded camp experience next summer.

The U.S. Fire Service Administration estimates the number of volunteer firefighters across the country has slid downward from 897,000 in 1984 to only 676,000 today.

Chris Pfeiffer, former chief at the Almonesson Lake Fire Company, said his fire company had 75 active volunteer firefighters between 15 and 20 years ago. The department now has only 15 active volunteers, he said.

"I think the spirit of volunteerism has kind of gone by the wayside," Andy Cunard, a cadet advisor with Almonesson Lake Fire Company, said in a statement with CBS News Philadelphia. "People are moving farther away from home.

"A lot of us are volunteers," Cunard continued. "We're the ones who show up in the middle of the night. We're just their neighbors. And we just come to help."