The firefighters and paramedics who make up the ranks of the state's volunteer departments often share a similar story of how they were drawn to the job.
A close friend or family member introduced them to the station or talked so passionately about their work that they too contracted the firefighter bug.
Bert Wingrove, 24, joined the Violetville Volunteer Fire Department in Baltimore County after hearing a close buddy talk about how much he loved it. Then Wingrove convinced his brother Justin to come on board. And now the Wingrove siblings are trying to talk a third brother into the firefighter family.
"He's not ready yet, but we're working on him," said Justin Wingrove.
Tapping family and friend ties has long been the faithful recruitment tool for the volunteer departments, but Sunday the Maryland State Firemen's Association tried a different tactic.
The group held the first statewide volunteer recruitment open house at 165 of the volunteer departments throughout the state. They hoped by giving neighbors a first hand look at the departments they could convince some to apply to become volunteers — and grow the ranks.
About 121,000 volunteers keep the departments running in Maryland, a drop of 12 percent to 15 percent in the last decade. They include firefighters and paramedics as well as administrative personnel.
"We're trying to reverse that trend," said Joe Chornock, a volunteer firefighter in Montgomery County and chair of the recruitment and retention effort. "We are doing that a little bit at a time."
During the open house, neighbors toured stations, held firefighter apparatus, climbed on trucks and tried on gear while volunteers discussed their jobs. At the Violetville station, firefighters simulated a house fire to teach kids about fire safety and show them how to escape.
Alfay Manning, 48, stopped by the Violetville station to show his son and nephew the workings of a department. The Owings Mills resident once volunteered at a station at Woodlawn, but said it became too difficult to manage that with his full time job.
Still, he wouldn't be upset if his 12-year-old son, Caleb, who played with toy firetrucks when he was younger, decided he one day wanted to volunteer.
"I loved it when I did it," Manning said.
Chornock said they have not counted the total number of applicants yet from the open house. They'll also have to wait and see how many of the applicants follow through and stay in the jobs long-term.
Recruiting has been tougher in recent years as overall volunteerism has declined, volunteer firefighters said.
"Getting people to volunteer for absolutely nothing can be hard," said John Rudisill, a lieutenant with the Violetville department.
Because fighting fires is dangerous, many in the public might not want to take the risk.
The recruitment efforts also come as it has become expensive to run stations.
A recent report commissioned by the Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen's Association recommended closing three of its member stations, including Violetville, and merging several others, triggering a backlash from volunteers. The association would have to vote on any closures.
Volunteers at Violetville said Sunday, there is still a need for their station. They were joined by members of the Lansdowne Volunteer Fire Department. The two departments are working together on recruitment and other efforts.
As they waited for potential recruits they talked about the love for their jobs. They spoke about the adrenaline rush of scrambling to a fire and the joyful feeling of helping their community.
Other perks they noted were the close-knit culture and free training that can be used at paying jobs when they are not on volunteer duty. Some volunteers work as EMTs in addition to volunteering, they said. After 25 years of service, volunteers also get a stipend when they turn 65.
Stephanie Imbragulio, an EMT firefighter with the Lansdowne Volunteer Fire Department, has several family members who are volunteers. It was only natural she would do the same. She remembers her first fire at a mobile home. She was 18 and had never felt such a rush. She was hooked.
She wants others to find the same love in the job.
"It just gets in your blood," she said.
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