Chief Dave Bielinski has been a volunteer with the Denmark Fire Department for more than four decades, and now manages a volunteer staff of 49.
“We go on car accidents, fires, a lot of assistance calls,” he said of the job. “Basically these days you’re called in for anything.”
To be ready for anything, the volunteer firefighters with the department continuously train.
“You start out with a 60-hour minimum Firefighter 1 and 2 class, but then there’s your monthly training, which we currently train two nights a month, and then you’ve always got refresher classes and CPR,” Chief Bielinski said.
On top of their training, the volunteers also hold day jobs.
Chief Bielinski told Local 5 that among his volunteers have a variety of careers, including farmers, construction workers, and factory workers.
He said that contributes to the department’s turnover rate.