LEBANON, Mo. (KY3) – The Lebanon Rural Fire Protection District says the number of volunteer firefighters is shrinking, but the number of calls is increasing. To solve this, the district has come up with a creative solution.
To keep the district’s 21 firefighters actively fighting fires, it’s calling on you to become the next reserve driver.
This volunteer position would teach how to drive and operate the fire district’s trucks so the firefighters can focus on putting out fires and saving people who might be trapped inside buildings.
Because of the rural area they serve, firefighters usually have to leave to refill trucks with water. These drivers can take on that task.
“With just driving, they could help our firefighters that are wanting to do more things,” said Chief Daniel Jones. “They could focus on doing the things, fighting the fires, and going into the buildings or doing what we need to do, versus just driving a truck shuttling water, since that’s what we do a lot since we’re in the rural area.”
It’s a way people can help their community without putting themselves directly in danger, and it wouldn’t have to take up too much time. As a reserve driver, you could go about your day and be called in when needed.
“The volunteer thing is just kind of going away,” Chief Jones said. “They don’t come like they used to, so we’re trying to think of different things to make it where if someone just wants to come and do something, they can just come in, and we’ll teach them how to drive our trucks, do everything we need to do, and then come in and just drive trucks, that’s it.”
You have to be 21 years old and attend two trainings and one maintenance shift per month.
“It’s really not much different other than they’re big and heavy,” said Jones. “We’ve got several driver’s that were kinda scared of doing it at first, and once they got behind there and realized what it was, they enjoy doing it now. No reason to be scared of it. It’s just a lot bigger and heavier, so we’ll train you the best we can.”
If you’re interested in signing up, you can call the fire district at 417-532-7678 or message its Facebook page.
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