03/28/2026
What would you do if you had a fire or medical emergency and there is no longer people to respond to your call for help?!?!
Volunteer Departments cannot operate without people who are willing to volunteer. Donāt wait until it is too late, step up and contact your local fire department about volunteering today!!
Weāre running out of people.
This isnāt a problem unique to one town or one firehouse. Itās happening everywhere.
Across our communities, the number of people willing and able to volunteer is shrinking. At the same time, the calls are not slowing down. If anything, theyāre increasing. More emergencies. More need. Fewer people stepping forward to meet it.
Inside the firehouse, that reality is already here, and being felt in real ways.
The same names keep showing up. The same group of people answering calls again and again. The list isnāt getting longer. The workload isnāt getting lighter. The workforce isn't getting younger. Weāre relying on neighboring departments to fill the gaps, and theyāre relying on us to help them more than ever.
This isnāt about the future anymore. This is happening right now.
I wonāt sugarcoat it. Joining a volunteer fire department isn't easy, and it takes time. The initial training is demanding. It will interrupt your routine. There will be nights when itās inconvenient, when it would be easier to stay home, when you question whether you can keep up.
That part is real. But itās also temporary.
Whatās on the other side of that effort is something most people will never experience. You learn how to stay calm when others canāt. You learn how to step into situations people naturally avoid and actually be useful. You gain real skills you use on calls, at home, and in everyday life. And you become part of a group that shows up for their neighbors when they need it most.
Itās rewarding. Itās satisfying. And it makes a difference in your life, and in your community. It changes how you see yourself.
This isnāt about being a certain type of person. Itās not about being the strongest or the fastest. Itās not about having experience or knowing exactly what to do on day one. There are roles for all kinds of people; on the fireground, in EMS, and behind the scenes.
What matters is the willingness to step forward and learn. Men and women. Young adults. Parents. People with full-time jobs and other commitments. People who have thought about it before but never took the first step. You donāt need to be ready for the worst right now. You just need to be willing to start.
Because hereās the truth: The calls will keep coming. They always do. It might be your house. It might be your neighbor. The only question is who will be there to answer them. Will it be you?
If this made you stop for even a second, donāt overthink it. Stop by your local firehouse. Message them. Talk to someone. Sit in on a drill. Ask questions. No pressure. No commitment. Just come see what itās really about.
Because the hardest part isnāt the training. Itās walking through the door for the first time.
- Captain Cummings
