A steady decline in volunteers means that local fire departments often have to lean on each other when their pagers go off for a call.

"When people call 911, they expect you be there, and somebody unfortunately has to pay for it. The volunteers, bingos and breakfasts aren't doing it anymore," Bruce Berger, Assistant Chief for Albrightsville Volunteer Fire Company, said.Fire departments are always looking for ideas to attract and keep firefighters. Harrisburg has taken notice, with bills aimed at attracting new firefighters, and giving current ones more incentive to stay involved.Bill Richards, a staff member for state Sen. John Yudichak, visited with the Carbon County Fire Chiefs Association to discuss some of the legislation pending in the Senate.Richards said that his office often hears about the difficulties fire departments face attracting members."It's a real issue. It's becoming a real problem they don't have the young people anymore," he said.Association members were upfront about the difficulty of attracting and keeping personnel. It's forced many to adopt mutual aid agreements so they have help when responding."The public expects when they call 911 that the call will be answered, and that you'll be there in a timely basis. If you have a major fire anywhere in the county, multiple departments are responding," said Nesquehoning Hose Co. No. 1 Chief John McArdle, president of the Carbon County Fire Chiefs Association.Junior firefighters help fill the gap, and the hope is that they will become full members of their department when they have time. But many of them find interests outside the fire service at some point, and don't return."We do have some young firefighters, but the problem is they either go to college, we don't get them back, or, they'll get a girlfriend and you'll never see them," said Rory Koons, president of Aquashicola Fire Co."An instructor I had once made the comment, they try to recruit the young guys before the car fumes and the perfumes," said Carbon County Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, a longtime volunteer firefighter.Richards said that Yudichak has co-sponsored bills aimed at making the fire service attractive not only for an 18-year-old to join, but also potentially a man in his 20s or early 30s.One bill would provide tax incentives based on their length of service. Another would give volunteer firefighters an opportunity to get $600 per year toward college tuition.Another pending bill would potentially forgive some student loan debt for firefighters."You have to package these incentives, because one item obviously, it won't work. If you give them a tax break, a tuition break, things of this nature, that's how you have to attack this," Richards said.Municipalities can already give their firefighters a tax credit if they choose to, but many do not.Berger, a Kidder Township supervisor, said that he is pushing his fellow supervisors to give firefighters a 20 percent property tax credit, the maximum amount allowed under law.But with many municipalities facing a shrinking tax base, it's not easy to get them to give up much-needed tax revenue."They're going to give you the option: the money for your equipment and the money for your retention. What are you going to do? You can't have trucks at 20 years old, and no money to replace them," McArdle said.Koons suggested the best way to attract firefighters is to pay them directly. While big cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have professional firefighters, he prefers a small per-call stipend. Professional fire service costs too much for small municipalities.But Richards said that is what municipalities could be looking at if they don't do something to bolster their volunteer forces."The municipalities have to learn. It may be a hard lesson, but it will end up costing them in the long run," he said.