Published: June 11, 2008 09:44 am         

Attala County Fire Dept. looking for some volunteers

Where have all the volunteers gone?

This is what Attala County Fire Coordinator and Emergency Management Director Danny Townsend and Chief Roy Williams are asking.

A lack of motivation seems to be the cause for why the department is in need of more self-determined, hard working young men to assist in putting out the fires and helping with other emergency needs of Attala County.

The ACFD currently only has five active and three inactive volunteer firefighters. Including Townsend and Williams, ten is the normal number of volunteers needed for efficient fire coverage.

All volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, have a valid driver’s license and no felony record as part of the requirements according to Williams.

Granted that being a volunteer firefighter does often come with grueling hours, “Some people that work (have another job) might have to fight a fire in the middle of the night and get up and go to work the next morning,” said Williams, “We mainly need some volunteers to come out on structure fires, on wrecks and things, we can handle those.”

Residents of Sallis, Ethel and McCool should be interested to know how the number of volunteers affects the home insurance rate for Attala County. ACFD now has a 10-C rating, which according to Townsend, is affected by the number of participating volunteers, “The rating bureau looks at least four to five responding volunteers to a structure fire…and that’s daytime response.”

“It take dedication, willingness to participate, sacrifice on everybody’s part, the county can’t afford a full time fire station to cover the whole county,” Townsend explains, “they’ve got to realize that they’ve got to train, I mean you can’t just pick up a radio, turn out gear and put out a fire.”

Townsend thanks all volunteers, past and present, for their “sacrifice and willingness to give their time…but we’re gonna have to have new blood coming in.”

Anyone interested in volunteering with the Attala County Fire Department should contact Townsend or Williams at 289-9163.