Craig Miller thought he would get away from the wildfires when he moved from California to upstate New York. Instead, at the age of 65, he found himself training to put them out
When Craig Miller moved from California to the Catskill mountains in upstate New York in 2019, the freelance journalist wanted to get away from traffic jams and wildfires and enjoy a quieter pace of life. Yet, one year into his stay, at the age of 65, he became his town’s newest volunteer firefighter. “It was something I realised I had to do as rural fire departments are desperate for people to help out,” he says. “Answering the pager for callouts at all hours of the day isn’t an ideal retirement, but four years in, it has become one of the most rewarding parts of my life.”
It was Miller’s eye for a story that first alerted him to the issue facing volunteer fire departments. Driving around town and noticing recruitment signs, he decided to dig further for the PBS website Next Avenue. “Speaking to fire chiefs, I realised they are in crisis since more than 60% of all firefighters in the US are volunteers, and rural areas can’t get young people to join,” he says. “The chief was trying to recruit me as soon as I hit town and said that it didn’t matter about my age as there is a job for everyone.”
