10/11/2026
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS STOP VOLUNTEERING?
Who answers the call? Who protects our communities? And who takes responsibility when there aren’t enough firefighters available to respond?
volunteer and part-time firefighters have provided critical emergency services, with limited funding, aging equipment, and inadequate staffing.
But here’s the question I believe should be front and center for everyone!!!
What is the plan when volunteer and part-time staffing can no longer meet the demands of our communities?
Do you know that a residential structure fire can require 15 or more properly trained and certified firefighters to safely and effectively perform fire attack, search and rescue, water supply, ventilation, command, and other critical operations. Ask yourself, Are you really safe with the fire protection you have? If you do not know, find out. It’s just that important to know who will be protecting you while you sleep!
That’s not 15 names on a department roster. That’s 15 qualified firefighters actually available and responding when the call comes in. The exact staffing requirement depends on the incident.
How many communities can realistically meet that need today? Not many at all!
For many, decisions made continue to fund roads, buildings, and community improvements which are drastically needed for all, but are we giving the same attention to the staffing, equipment, and resources needed to protect lives?
Public safety cannot simply be a talking point! It is reality! It requires funding, accountability, and long-term planning.
Volunteer and part-time firefighters are essential to our communities, but their willingness to serve should never replace the responsibility of local government to plan for adequate emergency protection.
Our citizens deserve to know what level of protection is actually available when they dial 911.
The calls aren’t going to stop coming just because we don’t have enough firefighters to respond. And responding with 1 or 2 members to an incident is a false sense of safety to those we serve.
It is no different than the need for police officers and staffing to protect each community! But we must understand the value of each and what it takes financially and the equipment needed to keep you safe and also each person who puts on that uniform!
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN?
Because hoping enough firefighters show up is not a public safety strategy.
It’s time to stop assuming we have adequate fire protection and start asking whether we actually do.
I wish others would understand this concern and start thinking we need to prepare for this exact situation. Because it’s coming and faster than we expected!
These are my thoughts! Absolutely not pointing fingers. It’s my 30 years of experience seeing the writing on the walls! Sometimes it takes 1 person to share a concern to get things motivated for the future of the safety of our communities we live in.
That’s all!
