Mulga Volunteer Fire Department looking for new recruits

MULGA, Ala. (WBRC) - Alabama is in desperate need of volunteer firefighters. According to the Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments, the number of volunteers continue to drop.

The Mulga Volunteer Fire Department is taking a new approach to bring in 10 to 15 new firefighters.

Mulga Fire Chief James Price said, “We are struggling.”

It’s more difficult than ever to recruit volunteer firefighters.

“You don’t necessarily have to have a bunch of training to just volunteer,” Price said. “There is a place in the volunteer ranks for everybody, whether it be young, or middle age or a little bit older.”

Right now, Mulga’s department only has 6 to 8 active members.

“With our department, it’s a small department and with the call volumes that we have, a lot of times we will have emergency calls that we don’t have the personnel to actually respond to,” Price said.

If you want to serve, you don’t need to have any prior experience.

“I would encourage everyone to come out just to see what services we are providing for them,” Price said. “Most people don’t know what it’s all about, the big important thing is that you are helping your community.”

The recruitment event is Monday, March 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mulga Fire Department.

Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.

Copyright 2023 WBRC. All rights reserved.