By Ben Rodgers
Editor
Last month a slew of volunteers with area fire departments showed who the real heroes are in our local communities.
A barn fire on Aug. 7, in southern Hobart, left Mike Ambrosius reeling from a heart attack.
He was found by his brother Jim, assistant chief for the Hobart Volunteer Fire Department, who was first on the call.
Jim administered CPR before he handed duties off to Michael Linseen, a volunteer from the Lawrence Department and a paramedic, before rescue crews could get Mike out of there and on the way to the hospital.
In all, this took place in the first 30 minutes or so of the call.
There is no doubt that these quick actions by brave volunteers saved Mike’s life.
He said he owes them his life, because without them he wouldn’t be here today.
Close to 60 cattle were also saved and the fire was contained and kept at bay, all thanks to volunteers who came running after 10 p.m. that night.
Plenty of them stayed until early the next morning making sure the fire was out.
In total, 15 departments responded to the call.
These are the people who run toward danger whenever they are needed. They can save your life in an emergency. You also see them at church or the grocery store. They quickly spring to action in your time of need.
There is nothing more connected when it comes to serving local communities than volunteer fire departments.
But the sad truth is numbers for volunteer fire departments are declining.
According to an article that ran last year in the magazine Emergency Management, fire departments across the country are seeing a decline in members who do an important and valuable service.
Locally, recruiting members is a challenge as well.
“It’s hard to get volunteers to commit the kind of time it takes to get training in,” said Jerry Lancelle, chief of the Hobart department.
Volunteer firefighters saved municipalities across the country $139.8 billion annually, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Nationwide, volunteers make up 70 percent of fire departments, and 85 percent of departments across the country are all or mostly volunteer, according to the NFPA.
The cause for the decline is multi-faced.
The small towns and cities that rely on volunteers often see younger people leaving for bigger cities.
For transplants in new areas, they often don’t have the community ties they think they need to join.
And everybody seems to think they don’t have the time required to volunteer.
At the same time, the NFPA reports the nationwide number of calls departments have responded to tripled in the last 30 years.
All of this points down a path no one wants to tread. Municipalities want affordable firefighters (volunteers do get paid) and people need fire service to protect them and their property.
Without volunteers this is impossible. Volunteers are desperately needed right now.
In the suburbs of Green Bay, people have an opportunity to train and join a team that saves lives and property while keeping the cost down for local governments.
If you are interested in joining a volunteer fire department, call your village hall, or visit the department’s website to find out how you can make a difference.
You might just end up saving someone’s life.