"We're really at a crisis: retention and recruitment of new EMTs and new firefighters is a major issue." says Dr. Keith Wesley Director of medical and EMS services for Bayfield and Ashland.

Rural communities across the region are facing a shortage of volunteers in their fire and EMT departments.
To combat this growing trend, more the 20 volunteer fire departments across Wisconsin gathered in Brule for the kick off of the fifth year of the "Be Somebody" campaign.
The program hopes to entice new recruits into joining their local volunteer fire departments and at least one first responder says anyone can do the job.

Debbie Martin an Oakland first responder"Even if you have small children, you can join the department. There's education involved, but you can always — if you have people to help you with the children, you can go when you can go, and as the children grow like I did, you can start to be more and more involved."

The state of Wisconsin is beginning to recognize the problem of short–staffed volunteer fire departments and the state is trying to help out when it can.

Chuck Happel of the State of Wisconsin"The monies that we've just got for the state office are very small and so we're doing everything to keep everything afloat at this point in time, and where we can support, we certainly do."

A sense of civic duty drives this new recruit to balance volunteering and holding another job.

Frank Sutter a new recruit said "When I got hired, I told them, 'I have a civic duty to do and if I get called out I won't be coming into work.' And they said, 'no problem.'"

A sense of good will drives most of these brave men and women.

William J. Franzel said"It felt different helping people, you know, and just excitement, you know, not to watch someone's house burn or nothing. Just try to help out to the best you can."

People interested in volunteering are urged to contact their local fire departments.
Officials do say that if firefighting isn't your thing, other positions are available