Volunteers help make the world go 'round

Volunteers are amazing! Did you know that 70% of all firefighters in our nation are volunteers? I have come to take this fact for granted as I have been working with firefighters for about 8 years now. Unfortunately the general public is not always aware of the sacrifices that these volunteers make.

Would you be willing to:

• be on call 24 hours a day
• risk your life for the safety and well being of others
• attend mandatory training at least once a month (this is after your hard day of work at your full-time job)
• work with the tools and equipment available, which are not usually “state-of-the-art”
• hold fundraisers to buy the equipment needed to ensure continued protection of your community because your municipality is unable to provide more funding
• sacrifice time with your family and friends

Not many of us can say yes to these terms, but almost one million volunteer firefighters say, “Yes, I will” everyday. Thank goodness for these men and women.