JOHNSTOWN — There are fewer volunteer firefighters in Fulton County than in the past and the average age is greater.

“We have an aging fire service,” said Allan Polmateer, Fulton County fire coordinator and civil defense director.

Polmateer did not have statistics available Wednesday on the roster strengths of volunteer fire departments, but he said a number of them are low on numbers.

“Everybody’s trying to recruit people,” he said.

Toward that end, the Fulton County Fire Advisory Board organized “Volunteer Department Recruitment Day,” which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17 with an open house at every county firehouse.

Michael Quinn, assistant chief of the Perth Volunteer Fire Department, and Ralph Palcovic, a member and former chief of the Caroga Lake Volunteer Fire Department, are directing the recruitment day effort.

Recruitment, said Quinn, “has been a long-standing issue in the volunteer fire services.”

Finding volunteers is difficult, he said, “in today’s busy world with families, kids, sports teams and extra jobs.”

Quinn said the departments are interested in recruiting not only new firefighters, but also EMTs and people with special skills willing to donate their time in support of a department’s operation. That could range from someone with computer skills to someone in the trades able to make repairs or maintain the department and its equipment. A retired police officer might be interested in serving in the fire police, which help keep order and direct traffic at a fire scene.

While the Perth Department has 28 firefighters on its roster, Quinn said it could use more. Particularly in the daytime, he said, there are limited numbers of volunteers able to respond.

“Typically, all departments are short in the daytime,” he said.

New York state offered a $200 tax credit this year for firefighters with at least five years of service.

There is required training for volunteer firefighters.

Polmateer said basic training, offered locally at the Fulton County Fire Training Center, is 175 hours. Classes are taught on certain weeknights and a few weekends a month, he said.

Anyone interested in joining the service is urged to stop in at their local firehouse during the open house, Quinn said.