As fire departments respond to far more emergencies than they did a generation ago, fewer volunteer firefighters are available to answer the call — a trend local fire leaders say could affect response times and coverage.
The number of volunteer firefighters in the U.S. has dropped by almost 200,000 people over the last two decades, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Over that same period, fire departments are handling nearly 70% more calls.
In Hamilton County, Jasper volunteer firefighter John Wright said fewer boots on the ground can make an already demanding workload harder to manage…