I will not comment on the influx of city/out-of-state people who have moved to our area, but I have talked to some and was surprised to learn that many of these people do not realize that our fire departments are all volunteer. They were under the impression that they were paid departments funded totally through property taxes. As volunteers each member gives their time for training and responding to calls, dropping what they are doing and rushing to the station. I also learned that these people do not know that the fire department responds to calls that are not fire related such as assisting with ambulance calls, motor vehicle accidents, gas leaks, searching for missing people, pumping out basements, attending parades and offering programs for adults and children.

All of the members of the fire departments also volunteer their time to receive the training necessary to serve our community. Besides firefighters, departments have volunteers that handle the business aspect of running the department and some who preform funding activities.

If you value this service, you can volunteer to help and just as important, donate to support your local fire department.

Susan Bulanda

Jim Thorpe