There are a number of things that are causing this shortage, such as changing views and generations. Moody said people who may have volunteered in the past are now saddled with extra pressures, such as second jobs and child care. However, even though new volunteers are becoming rare, Moody said services will not be affected. The paid staff of these agencies is always involved in emergency situations, Moody said. The paid employees are just doing more.
Employees say they realize the effect good volunteers can have in a crisis situation.
The volunteer staff is extremely important for operation because they provide most of our firefighting support, Conover Fire Department Chief Eric Hall said. We have a paid staff of 10 who deal with the administrative side of things, but the volunteers provide a lot of support. Interested volunteers are trained before they assist on emergency calls. Potential volunteers need to be ready to receive the proper training, which is ongoing, said Moody. Much of the training is available through the community college system.