Volunteer firefighters needed in Lauderdale County

LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WTOK) - Volunteer firefighters are needed now more than ever before in Lauderdale County.

“It’s getting to the point where it’s hard to get enough people to do it,” Daryl Mathews, from the Long Creek Volunteer Fire Department, said.

Volunteering for your local department can help in ways you might not have thought about. Of course, it provides personnel to respond to your home if it catches fire, but it can also help with keeping homeowners insurance down.

“It saves the public a lot of money on taxes due to the fact we have volunteers versus a career firefighter. It would be a large amount of money to cover 22 stations in this county, as far as pay.” Mathews explained. “Having a good fire department and having a good rating in the county is gold. It’s money in your pocket.”

The lack of volunteers can mean lengthy response times and not enough firefighters to adequately fight a blaze.

“When you get out here doing it with just a small crew, the possibilities of being injured increase. So does fatigue,” Mathews said.

The average age of volunteer firefighters continues to rise. Mathews says the community should become more invested in helping its fellow members.

“I encourage someone to come down and try it to see if you like it. It’s just giving back to your community. Sometimes we forget about our fellow man. We need to remember our neighbors here,” Mathews said.

Just remember, volunteering at a fire department doesn’t mean you have to fight fires. It can be as simple as helping out at the scene and providing support.

If you would like more information about volunteering with your local department call: 601-482-9856.

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