MILFORD, PA — With declining numbers of volunteers, Pike County has decided to engage professional marketers to get new ones and keep the ones now staffing its fire departments and ambulance squads.

The commissioners have approved a $38,000 contract for a Florida, NY specialty marketing plan, and on March 18, Steve Powell of Canned Fire outlined it.

Powell provided statistics. Ninety-six percent of Pennsylvania’s firefighters are volunteers, and since 1990 their numbers have declined by 74%. “The math is not good,” he said.

“Everybody in the house is working now… nobody has time to volunteer and train,” he said.

Adding to that, he said existing volunteers often feel “unappreciated and uncared for.”

The remedy for that is multi-layered, he said, referring to his recent efforts in Rockland County, NY, where he instituted his “We are the ones” campaign.

Instead of homemade help-wanted signs outside firehouses, Powell created slick, colorful hand-bill folders, posters, billboards, and videos, TV and radio spots, press releases and a training manual for fire departments. He used professionally done photos of real local firefighters.

He recruited local businesses to offer bargains for volunteer firefighters. “An ice-cream store offered a free scoop for firefighters. The owner found his business increased because firefighters are very loyal. There was a 145% increase in businesses that worked with us,” he said.

He distributed T-shirts with the slogan, “We are the ones”

“The campaign builds pride and sense of belonging and camaraderie. The T-shirts make it all worthwhile,” he said.

Commissioners Chair Rich Caridi said, “It’s a fact. The volunteers are less and the calls are more. Eventually you’ll dial 911 and no one will respond.”

Before deciding on the idea, Caridi said Powell’s plans were shown to some 70 municipal leaders and “everybody was positive.”

The two-hour meeting of the Pike County Commissioners on March 18 was largely devoted to county and community project presentations.

Mikki Weiss spoke passionately about the need for public education and better medical treatment for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. Weiss said she has been working with a community task force, which has recently joined forces with the commissioners and the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) to create STEP, (Sustainable Tick-borne Diseases Education Program). Beyond media and outreach educational efforts STEP will also include TBD (tick borne disease) Support Network, which will serve those currently suffering tick borne diseases in Pike, Sussex and Orange counties.

The commissioners heard from Kevin Cope of Hope for Veterans, which is a federal, Veterans Administration-grant-funded program now available in Pike to assist homeless veterans and their families. More information is available at hopeforveterans.com or by calling their referral hotline at 855/483-8466.

Tim Knapp and Jordan Wisniewski reported on the growing number of programs available at the county’s emer-gency training center in Blooming Grove.

Pike Area on Aging Director Robin LoDolce delivered a “wish list” for the county’s food pantries, which are seeing a continuing high level of patronage from Pike’s unemployed and underemployed residents.

Pike County Library Executive Director Rose Chiocchi reported 2,300 new members in her “state of the library” report.