VIDEO: The Benson Fire Department has been staffed with volunteers since 1907, but now the city and the fire chief are calling for change.
Chief Keith Spangler is the City of Benson's only full time firefighter and EMT.
"It's responding and getting on scene and then having to wait for more people to show up," he said. "One person does not run a fire department.” Spangler says because they rely on volunteers response times are slower, because they have to get to the station, gear up and leave in the fire truck. And when he's alone he has to wait for other agencies to show up to help.
“There's been several fires that had there been full time people manning a station, the fire wouldn't have done as much damage,” he said. The chief relies on his 15 volunteers, who aren’t always available.