Yakima County Fire District 5 is looking for a fresh crop of volunteers over the next few weeks. That recruiting is the responsibility of firefighter Andy Babcock. "The last month, we've been doing door-to-door visiting people in those more rural communities," said Babcock. That includes tagging areas with flyers, and reaching out to the community online. Fire District 5 covers most of the Lower Yakima Valley, and is comprised almost entirely of volunteer firefighters. "We have 195 volunteers, and 13 career staff," said Babcock. That staff of just over 200 serves over 750 square miles of land and 45,000 residents. Right now, the fire district is looking to add at least 30 volunteers by the fire season -- in a perfect world, 50. Reaching that goal would not only alleviate demanding hours from longtime volunteers, but potentially increase response times. "The actual boots on the ground are our volunteer firefighters," said Babcock, "They're the ones that are out there reaching out to answer the calls when we do have emergencies."
- Source: KVEW-TV ABC 42 Kennewick
- Published: 02/18/2016 05:28 PM
