According to the U.S. Fire Administration, approximately what percent of fire and emergency service organizations are staffed by volunteers?

• A. 30 percent
• B. 50 percent
• C. 70 percent
• D. 90 percent

Answer: (C)

Volunteers support the vast majority of fire and emergency service organizations, especially at the department level. The U.S. Fire Administration reports that about 70 percent of fire and emergency service organizations are staffed by volunteers. This figure captures how many departments rely on volunteers as their primary staffing model, a reality that's more common in rural and smaller communities where volunteer members run the department, sometimes alongside paid personnel in mixed or hybrid setups.

So, 70 percent reflects the widespread presence of volunteer-staffed departments across the country, rather than implying every firefighter is a volunteer or that most departments are fully paid. The other numbers don’t align with the published estimate.