Baxter Fire Faces Unusual Problem

The Baxter Fire Department has found itself dealing with the unusual problem of having an influx of volunteer firefighter applications.

Baxter Fire Chief Matt White said the department started receiving an increase in volunteer applications around five months ago. White said the increase came after the department focused on community outreach.

“They are seeing what kind of difference we are really making in the community I believe,” White said. “And that’s being able to provide a better outcome with those people and we are leaning more on wanting to help and give back to the community is kind of what I get from everybody that I’ve talked to.”

White said the department has an abundance of applicants but they can only train a few volunteers at a time. White also said it could cause a budget constraint as they need more equipment for the volunteers, but he considers the issue to be a good problem to have.

“It is an excellent problem to have more people and more volunteers,” White said. “It is always helpful, cause the problem with volunteers is you never know when they are available or if they are available. With those you just have to take what help you can when they are available.”

White said the department currently has 13 volunteer firefighters. White said volunteer firefighters are essential to the department.

“They are critical to us just like our paid people,” White said. “Our paid personnel that are here enable us to have response 24 hours a day and somebody to man a truck and bring it to us, but those volunteer firefighters are like our added help and they are going to be an auxiliary to when we need to rely on extra people to be there just like at any fire.”

White said volunteers have to pass a 16-hour course and a 64-hour course before they can join the department. The department will look into ideas of ways they can change the process to get more volunteers trained more efficiently. White said he is ready to take on the unusual problem head-on and is excited the community of Baxter is looking after itself.