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Little do we know, year by year, our public safety is slowly dwindling away. Rural Ohio, as well as Rural America, are facing a growing crisis as our public servants gets older and retires from their donated services to their communities when their bodies tell them they can't do it any longer. It is time for someone else to step up and fill their shoes. The problem is, the somebody else's are not stepping up.
Records of most volunteer departments show that since their beginning, volunteerism was strong. Most departments through the 1900's had no problems keeping a healthy roster of volunteers that performed emergency services day and night when needed. The sense of giving back to the community, by servicing their neighbors during one of their worst days of their lives was alive and well. Volunteerism was a thing you did for your community. Why not today?
For those of us who live in communities who are serviced by volunteer first responders, I ask you to look at the ages of those who are servicing you. My guess is that you will find that the majority of these men and women will be in their 50's and 60's. Many of these servants are hanging in there waiting for someone else to take their place, but no one is stepping up to serve.
Each of us who live in these communities need to begin to face a certain reality that is going to be happening as early as these next 5 years. Volunteer fire departments, and emergency squads will not be able to sustain their departments. You will begin to see departments locking their doors, selling their equipment and putting the burden on the remaining departments that still have members, or it will force our county to establish centrally located paid departments that will slow response time to most and increase your insurances.
How do we prevent this from happening? We need people to step up and fill the shoes of these ageing servants. I am reminded of some quotes from wise people of our past that have inspired older generations to volunteer their services.
¯"Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else's help." Heather French Henry
¯"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill
¯"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" Martin Luther King Jr.
Will you consider being the next servant for your community? Remember, "Volunteers" do not get paid! The hours are not the best, but the satisfaction of helping others in their time of need is second to none. Please step up and join your local volunteer fire department or rescue squad.
Jim Ullman
Beverly