Times are changing for a lot of fire departments in the Cape Fear region. One fire chief says you used to see tons of volunteer firefighters, but nowadays, not so much.
Calabash Fire Chief Randall Bork says our culture is simply changing. He says that especially in Brunswick County, they have a tough time finding young people who want to get involved.
Bork says it used to be a noble profession.
“To get young people that are interior firefighters is hard,” Bork said. “It gets harder all the time with the education they’re requiring to do that.”
Bork says fire departments in North Carolina used to be full of volunteer firefighters.
“It’s very hard in this area.,” Bork said. “It’s a retirement community, the people we serve. Young people are hard to come by. We do have a lot of volunteers that are older, and they’re like a support for us.