Two Forsyth County fire departments have been identified as “at-risk” when it comes to recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.
Fire chiefs in Lewisville and Rural Hall hope a grant program will help attract new recruits.
“We knew we were looking for a large diverse group of people, one of the questions we had was how do we target those people? How do we identify those people?” Lewisville Fire Chief Darin Needham said.
The North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs, funded by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will help provide targeted research in 12 communities across the state, and workshops to boost involvement.
“We’re truly neighbors helping neighbors, and without those volunteers, we would cease to function, there would be nobody to respond,” Needham said.