Since 1884, the Marshfield Fire Department has kept their community safe, but now they're looking to pass on what they know to the next generation. Unfortunately, like many other departments in Central Wisconsin and around the country, there is a growing shortage of firefighters.
Deputy Chief Erik Jonas talked about what his department is doing to address this issue. "We found that building partnerships within the school allowed us to build those necessary relationships to provide students the opportunity to job shadow at the fire department."
Jonas said that the department is partnering with Mid State Technical College and the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce to offer firefighter and EMS training to aspiring firefighters, and earn them college credit in the process.