The decline of volunteer firefighting in the United States: A loss of social capital

Research gaps exist in the geography and social capital literature related to participation in volunteer firefighting. The study establishes an operational context and theoretical basis for studying volunteer firefighting. By considering both socio-economic variables influencing participation and broad geographic and regional trends. Key results generally support prior social capital studies, although results related to higher participation in general volunteer opportunities in more affluent urban areas among people with higher education reflect the opposite trend for people who engage in volunteer firefighting (who tend to be more involved in less affluent rural areas among people with less education). The study confirms that participation in volunteer firefighting is on the decline and suggests opportunities for future research, including expanding social capital research to study voluntarism more broadly to account for these results.