SCRANTON, Pa. — The state puts out a high-priority job list each year and emergency medical responders, firefighters, and police officers are on that list.
“We do have some struggles. I mean, you know, I’ve learned recently some scary statistics about the decline in the number of volunteer firefighters. It has to be the volunteer corps," said Sheila Ireland of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
State officials said the pandemic has just made it clearer how hard those folks work and how badly Pennsylvania needs them.
If people do not start filling those roles faster and soon, it could lead to a crisis.
“As people move away from that kind of engagement in our society. Frankly, I’m a little scared. I’m a little scared around what it is we need to do," added Ireland.
Those state leaders say they want to get people interested in those kinds of careers earlier and make them understand they are good long-term jobs.
They would also like to see an increase in pay for those emergency responders.
“In Pennsylvania, the average EMT makes around $17.50 an hour. Hourly wage has a lot to do with it.”
Ireland says there was a shortage of emergency workers long before the COVID-19 crisis hit. She says she and others are working to redefine what those jobs mean for future generations.