RANDOLPH COUNTY, Ind. - Volunteer Fire Departments across the state are struggling to fill their ranks. Some departments are dealing with a third or even half of the firefighters they are used to. “In our county, it’s tough,” said Jonathan Nicholson, the fire chief with the Lynn Volunte er Fire Department and the president of the Randolph County Volunteer Fire Chiefs’ Association. “Sometimes the first 10-15 minutes of a call you may be by yourself or very short-handed with three or four people. Some departments aren’t even lucky enough to have that.” Nicholson grew up around firefighters his whole life, following in his dad’s footsteps. He said in the last 15 or so years, the interest in becoming a volunteer firefighter has declined. “It started out slow but it has really dropped off now,” he said. “People will always say they are so much busier than they used to be.” In Randolph County, there are seven fire departments that rely fully on volunteers. A majority of those departments are not seeing the firefighting numbers that they used to even a decade earlier. “I wish more people would look at the big picture and say, ‘Hey, I can help,’” Nicholson said. Fortunately, the Lynn Fire Department is not struggling as much as some of the other surrounding fire stations in Randolph County. “We are very fortunate,” Nicholson said. “I tell my guys and gals all the time, we are lucky that we have what we have. We are lucky to get the response of the people we get. Whether it's the middle of the day or the middle of the night, we are very lucky because there are a lot of departments that are not as fortunate as we are.” At the Ridgeville Volunteer Fire Department, they are working with just 12 firefighters when they should have 25. Just down the road from here at the Ward Township Volunteer Fire Department, they are working with 21 firefighters instead of 30. “Since COVID happened, we have seen a lot of decline in people interested in volunteering and joining the service,” said Steve Martin, the fire chief with the Ward Township Volunteer Fire Department. “It has greatly affected us now and we are pushing to try to get more people involved.” Now, they’re turning to the next generation. “I went to school and Steve was like, ‘Hey when you're 14 come join the fire department as a cadet,' so that’s what I did and I stuck with it ever since then,” said 18-year-old Austin Kolp, a firefighter with the Ward Township Volunteer Fire Department. Kolp recently graduated from the cadet program which some volunteer fire stations are now offering to get more younger people involved. “It feels awesome,” he said. “It’s one of the best feelings in the whole world.” “It’s incredible to be able to see the younger generations getting a little more interested in it and it kind of reboots the older generation, firefighters like me, to get re-energized in the fire service,” Martin said. For those interested in getting involved, they said it’s never too late to step up and volunteer. “I would tell everyone to reach out to their local fire department,” Nicholson said. “Find a member. Find a fire chief. Stop in and ask them if they need help. Some departments need a lot of help. Some need a little help. Just stop and ask. It never hurts to ask. I can just about tell you that any volunteer department that is going to see this story in Indiana needs some help.” ...read more read less