Woodland Fire Department will cease serving the area after 150 years due in part to a lack of volunteers.
“It is the membership,” Woodland Fire Department Chief Tony Roethle said. “People are busy these days and with young married couples both work and they share child care duties as they should.”
Roethle said he found many people showing interest in joining were not able to make the time commitment. Young people have more options on how to spend their free time these days, and that led to less volunteers, Roethle said.
“Fire service is changing, and we have to adapt to it,” Roethle said. “Some fire departments do really well at recruiting and some don’t, even the full-time departments. There is a lack of interest in young people, but hopefully that is just a cycle.”
Woodland Fire Department has 12 volunteers and three retired people who help out at the station, Roethle said.
“Helping the community is most of the reason I have been here for 33 years,” Roethle said. “It is my second year as chief”