73% of Oregon’s fire departments reported a “moderate or significant decrease” in the number of volunteer firefighters over the past five years.
TILLAMOOK COUNTY, Ore. — When there’s a fire in Oregon, it’s often a volunteer firefighter who shows up. 94% of all fire departments in Oregon are either all-volunteer or a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters. But the number of people willing answer the call is dwindling. It’s becoming harder and harder to recruit and keep volunteer firefighters.
“My biggest concern is there’s going to be a day that I have to make that decision that we’ve got to let that call go,” said
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