Firefighter staffing around Connecticut has decreased by half over the past decade, along with a steep decline in volunteer firefighter staffing in the state, according to a new report from the Office of the Comptroller. The report alerts Connecticut leaders to a “statewide crisis” in firefighter recruitment and retention.
The study includes data collected between August 2024 and February 2025, surveying each fire department in Connecticut, with a 96% response turnout rate.
The survey found that there are around 13,401 firefighters, both career and volunteer, in Connecticut. It’s a 50% decrease from the 26,800 who were estimated by the Connecticut State Firefighters Association during a 2016-2017 survey. Around 8,337 firefighters are volunteers, compared to 22,350 in 2016-2017, a 62.7% decrease.
Career firefighters increased by over 6% in the past decade, from 4,450 career firefighters to 4,738. Firefighters who were only staffed as paid per call were also tallied; there are around 326 in this most recent report.
The report noted that while staffing has decreased, the need for firefighting services has not, due to population growth and the recent extreme weather events, including wildfires and floods.
In Connecticut, 61% of the fire departments are fully volunteer-run, while 17% are fully career-run fire departments. Departments that are a combination, either mostly volunteer or mostly career, make up 22% of the state’s fire departments.
When compared nationwide, Connecticut is above the national average for firefighters between the ages of 30 and 49. The nationwide average is 50%, and 83% of Connecticut’s firefighters are in their 30s or 40s.
The national average for firefighters under 30 is around 23%, with Connecticut below that average at 9%. The report noted a possible age gap between junior and cadet firefighters, who age out at 17, and those who become probationary firefighters, with an average age of 27 years old. The gap mainly comes from those between the ages of 18 and 22 who continue their education after high school, according to the report. One solution the report suggested is to focus on recruiting 23 to 27-year-olds to become probationary members.
Comptroller Sean Scanlon acknowledged that these types of reports don’t typically come from his office, but said it was a needed report that serves multiple purposes. Scanlon’s office oversees health insurance for about 1,000 municipal-level firefighters and handles the state’s MERS municipal pension system that firefighters use for retirement benefits.
