Louisville fire stations faced with a staffing shortage are coming up with creative ways to fill shifts. The bottom line is there aren't enough firefighters to go around, and now fire departments are shuffling to fill the need.
Cody Rowan, a new recruit, was working his second day with the Okolona Fire Department on Thursday when he, quite literally, rushed into a wall of flames.
"It's hot," he said. "Unbelievably hot."
But it was all just a drill.
Rowan is one of three new hires at the department. The problem is he's one of only three new hires. Battalion Chief Jody Craig said he can't find enough people to do this job.
"The hardest part is we've lost a lot due to retirement," Craig said. "Retirees were scared of the changes in the retirement system."