Published: July 19, 2008 01:46 am            

Help wanted

Area VFDs feeling the pinch of fewer volunteers to combat fires

Back in the day, what volunteer fire departments needed most was money for equipment, training and fuel.

But for some Anderson County VFDs, their greater need isn’t cash — it’s people.

“We need volunteers willing to train and respond to emergency calls,” Tom Wardell, chief of Lone Pine VFD and president of the Anderson County Firefighters Association, said Friday afternoon.

Don’t get Wardell wrong. Funds are always welcome to help keep equipment running and tanks full. But somebody’s got to be there for the equipment to be used.

Fewer than half a dozen volunteers make up Lone Pine VFD, located near the Palestine Municipal Airport northwest of town, Wardell said, adding that other departments are just as badly strapped for manpower, with some volunteering for multiple VFDs as a way to help keep those departments staffed.

Reasons for fewer volunteers vary, firefighters say, citing a lack of free time left after fulfilling work and family responsibilities as explanations often given.

“You mention the dedication, the training and the sacrifice of time and it’s, ‘well, I don’t know, I work 40 hours a week and I want to spend time with my kids.’ I understand that,” Wardell said. “But I don’t want to see someone’s house burn down.

“What if volunteer firefighters didn’t volunteer? We’d have a mess.”

To help prevent a call from going unheeded, county fire departments have mutual aid agreements in place so that if one VFD can’t provide the manpower needed, another will help. It’s a policy that Lone Pine has had to call on lately as calls came in with firefighters unavailable to respond.

“We got to the point last month that other fire departments were having to take calls because we weren’t available,” Wardell said, explaining that he hates not being able to protect his district with his own department. “We’re not running emergency medical calls because we don’t have the staff trained to do that.”

Firefighters need to be at least 18 years old, Wardell said, although the department prefers people at least in their early 20s. They also need to have a clean driving record and no felony offenses, he said.

Firefighters need 170 hours of training before they can obtain their basic certification, he said. Training includes topics such as proper techniques of entering burning structures, using air tanks, handling hoses and nozzles and how to drive and operate fire trucks and engines. Training sessions range from those held locally to fire schools at Texas A&M University in College Station.

“We don’t just say, ‘here’s what you do,’” Wardell said. “We train them.”

Volunteers don’t necessarily have to man hoses or enter burning buildings to be of help, Wardell said. People with mechanical know-how can help keep equipment running, while others can deliver water and ice to help firefighters keep hydrated and cool, or help around the station.

“We need these pumps and trucks checked every week,” he said. “We need to make sure they’re going to crank. It’s like your lawn mower, if you don’t use it for awhile, it won’t crank.”

Volunteers do need at least basic training, regardless of what help they may provide, so they’re able to help in an emergency until more crews arrive, Wardell said. Having all volunteers trained also makes a VFD eligible for a wider range of grants, he noted.

“We don’t just put the wet stuff on the red stuff anymore,” he said.

The problem of too few volunteers stretches beyond the local area, he said.

“It’s not just here in Anderson County or Texas,” Wardell said. “It’s nationwide. I really don’t know what the answer is except to make a plea to the public. Help us help you.”

Anyone wishing to volunteer with one of the county’s VFDs may call Wardell at 903-723-6338 or assistant chief Yvonne Galloway at 903-729-3659, or email at lonepinevfd@hotmail.com. They can determine which VFD would be closest for the caller.

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Beth Foley may be contacted via e-mail at bfoley@palestineherald.com

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On the Net:

Lone Pine Volunteer Fire Department, http://www.cms.firehouse.com/dept/PalestineTX

        

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