Your community may need you to put on some turnout gear in order to keep your neighbors safe in fire emergencies. A recent survey of 400 fire chiefs in Wisconsin showed that 62 percent of them are concerned that they will not be able to staff their first due apparatuses in the next year, which is also a sign that response times could also suffer. Data shared by the Brussels-Union-Gardner Fire Department showed that the number of volunteer emergency personnel has dropped from 900,000 to 200,000 over the last 40 years. Southern Door Fire Chief Rich Olson says like many departments, they have struggled to keep up with retirements and other factors that might cause firefighters to leave the department. He ensures that volunteer firefighters are given the resources they need to be safe and successful.

He adds that Door County has always been kind and generous to its volunteer fire departments when it comes to their support. That includes attending events like the Southern Door Fire Department's Annual Parade and Picnic, which is scheduled to take place July 26th.