Our fire department's need your help!

What a week! In my nearly 30 years of doing this job, I’ve never had to experience two significant events back-to-back like we did this past week.

On Wednesday, the fire started at Vinland Energy, and on Sunday, a major storm came through, causing probably over a million dollars in damage or more countywide.

The two events bring something to my mind: the need for more volunteer firefighters.

Young adults, I’ve shared this concern before and am now contacting you directly. Your community needs you.

Is it dangerous? Yes, it is. But these firefighters, our heroes, willingly put their lives on the line each time they answer a call. On Sunday, some of these brave souls in Laurel County were injured while fighting the fire at Huffman and Huffman Eye Center.

Our county needs more people to respond to emergencies. Did you realize that?

Due to the shortage of volunteers, fire departments from different areas are often required to assist on numerous calls, highlighting the immediate need for more responders.

IDEA

What if local fire departments held, for the lack of a better way to describe, a job fair?

We would gladly allow a parking lot at area schools to showcase departments, enabling the public to visit and see what being a firefighter is all about.

If you know how to help recruit new members, please message me on Facebook or at mhoskins@themanchesterenterprise.com.

SECOND IDEA

Maybe we could create some paid positions for rescue squad members. These are vital as traffic accidents occur more often than fires. What if the city, county, and maybe even the board of education could split salaries to help hire some people?

Like I said, just an idea for something we need as a community.

It will not be long until we see some of these fire departments close due to lacking members.

If you’d like to volunteer, please call 606-598-8411 (Clay Dispatch), and they can connect you with the fire chief in your area.

I want to close by thanking those volunteer fire departments, Rodney Wagers and Revelle Berry with Clay EMS, the sheriff’s department, and anyone else who may have responded to or helped during the Vinland Energy fire and the storm.