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Illinois communities low on volunteer firefighters

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Small communities throughout Illinois are having trouble recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters.

Seventy percent of the state's fire departments are volunteer, The State Journal-Register reported (http://bit.ly/2kiObnB ). Springfield is the only community in Sangamon County with an all full-time fire department.

Loami Fire Chief Troy Johnson said it's hard getting anyone interested in volunteering because everyone is too busy and no one wants to do anything for free.

"Everybody's biggest excuse is they work too much or they don't have the time," Johnson said.

Williamsville Fire Chief Scott Gaddy said new recruits can spend months taking classes to get certified, but afterward are called away for hours at a time without notice.

"We lost of couple of people here recently," Gaddy said. "They all had kids coming up to the teenage years. They were in sports and other school activities. The fire department pulls them away from that. They decided they needed to be home with their families more than they needed to be on the fire department. That's understandable."

The Illinois Fire Chief's Association has been offering seminars over the past few years to help departments recruit new members. The seminars are covered by a $1.3 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Minooka Fire Chief Al Yancey is active in the association's recruitment and retention efforts. He said the two-day seminars are led by instructors from across the U.S. who are experts in recruitment and retention.

"In the smaller communities, it's hard to get volunteers in the door," Yancey said. "The big issue is respecting people's time. That's one of the things we talk about in recruitment. It's a grassroots effort. That means getting out, knocking on doors, hanging door hangers and putting posters up at the post office and grocery store to make sure people understand there is a need."

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com

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