When the alarm sounds at the Olney Fire Department, just five local responders receive that call to action. The remote fire hall is in desperate need of additional volunteers to keep its operation running, serving the rural hamlet of 200 residents along with travelers on nearby U.S. 93.
It’s not the first time they’ve been short-handed.
About a year ago, the department shuttered its ambulance service due to a lack responders, and Fire Chief Jordan Carr said volunteer numbers on the fire side have plummeted to as low as two, begging the question — what’s next for the department’s future?
Carr, the fire chief of six months, hopes to get the department going in the right direction.