A huge shortage of volunteer firefighters persists across the Valley as we get into what could be an even worse fire season than last year.
"It is a constant battle to get people to volunteer," says Yakima County Fire District 5's Chief Kevin Frazier.
A few decades ago, Frazier says they had well over 300 volunteer firefighters, now they have half that to cover the same 750 square miles.
For West Valley Fire, and fire departments across the Valley, volunteers are harder and harder to come by.
"It seems like there's more things to take away time these days than there was in the past. Some people, you know, they end up having family constraints, job constraints," says Jim Johnston with West Valley Fire. He started his career as a firefighter first as a volunteer.