Volunteer fire companies are vital to protecting millions of citizens in rural and urban areas in Pennsylvania.  However, there are many challenges as the number of volunteer firefighters has declined from over 300,000 in the 1970’s to approximately 50,000 today, serving in over 2,400 fire companies across 67 counties (University of Pittsburgh, 2012).     Over 60 percent of volunteer fire companies operate on budgets of less than $100,000 (Center for Rural Pennsylvania, 2012).   Many fire companies are struggling to survive with this level of funding to support operating costs and the enormous capital costs of obtaining new fire equipment.

Previous research has indicated that volunteer fire company budget funds come from a variety of sources including fundraising.  Previous studies have also reported that the fundraising requirements on rural volunteer fire companies have put an enormous strain on volunteers already overwhelmed by an average of 551 calls per year (Center for Rural Pennsylvania, 2012).  The presentation will review the progress of a quantitative and qualitative research study of the financial fitness of volunteer fire companies.