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Over 60 posts in this thread and only a few that are informed.

It is true that in a metro area paid firefighters may be running calls all shift long. But not everyone lives or wants to live in a metro area. I’m one of those that lives in a semi-rural area because that is where I want to live. Sorry I that offends.

I am at this point in my miserable life 2 weeks away from my 61st birthday. I have 20 years in the fire service as a volunteer. I have Pro-Board certs in FF1/FF2, HazMat Tech., Confined Space, Pump Ops and also I’m a volunteer EMT. As a firefighter I run about 3 calls a week, still do interior fire suppression (i.e. I wear an air pack) and I’m an officer in my county Firemen’s Association. I still work full time at my regular job that has nothing to do with the fire service. I have three college degrees and make a comfortable living.

Being a volunteer firefighter is both a curse and a blessing. This is something that is in the blood, something I always wanted to do and I’m unable to quit. On the other hand, while there are exceptions, it is a thankless unpaid job. Most people, in particular young people are under the impression that we are paid. I think the percentage of firefighters that are paid is about 25% of the total.

My particular fire company receives from the township $30K per year and pays for our diesel fuel and insurance. That’s it. Our annual budget is about $110k. We have at this time 28 active firefighters and we train hard once a week. There are 19 fire districts in my county all volunteer. Of those 19 districts, mine runs the 2nd or 3rd most number of calls per year on average (about 200), we have the most active number of firefighters in the county and the highest percentage of state certified firefighters at 80%. All of our truck drivers have at the minimum a class B CDL.

In my district there are about 1100 dwellings and commercial structures. About 20% of those are in areas that have hydrants, the balance require tanker service. What a lot of people don’t get and I’m not sure why this is, but we do not have a crystal ball to predict when a fire will break out. We only respond when we are called. If 3 of the 6 rooms in your house are burning, there is not a whole lot anyone can do to save the place intact regardless paid or volunteer.

My district is 16 square miles, we respond well within the NFPA guidelines as far as time and assets are concerned. The bulk of our calls are on the PA Turnpike for MVAs, generally involving out of the area persons driving like as*holes and experimenting with street drugs.

Good post. Here's something else I've noticed as an unmistakable trend over the years:

I believe volunteer fire departments are ideal for small towns where most of the residents live and work locally, and most of the businesses are owned by local residents. That's the type of place where people see the value of volunteering up close.

In my area, local fire departments have had an increasingly difficult time attracting volunteers. Part of this may be a younger generation that is more selfish than their parents and grandparents, but what is really driving this is that more and more people living in these towns are commuting to jobs miles away ... and most local businesses are owned by people who live miles away, too.

So on a typical day there simply aren't a lot of local residents who can even respond to a fire alarm ... and people who commute long distances for work just don't have the time and energy to volunteer at night.