As the city and town of Milton weigh how to transition from a volunteer fire department to a department staffed by full-time employees, cost has always been a consideration. “The whole causation of the problem is staffing. Our volunteer pool has decreased significantly—and that is a problem across the United States,” Janesville Fire Chief Ernie Rhodes said in an interview Thursday with Adams Publishing Group. The Milton Fire Department has tried multiple staffing models. The current model with three full-time paramedics and other members paid to be part time or on call is not sustainable, Rhodes said.