Kirkman Fire Needs Volunteers

    KIRKMAN – Volunteer firefighters are needed in Kirkman or the department may be forced to close.
    Those words come from Captain Mike Norris, who explains this week that numbers have dwindled in recent years to a total of nine firefighters, with only three of the nine certified for qualified entry of a structure on fire.
    That poses a risk for many homeowners in the area should there not be enough volunteers on hand to staff a fire or emergency, he said.
    “We are looking for ordinary people who have a desire to help people in need,” Norris said.  “Being a volunteer firefighter is all about being dedicated to family, friends and community.  In rural America, the volunteer is often the only person standing between the community and disaster, death and loss of property.”
    Volunteer firefighters often are the first line of defense in an emergency, he said.  Hopes are to double the size of the current ranks.  “It would be great to have 9-10 more firefighters,” he said.
    Volunteers can live in an outlying area, he said.  Firefighters ride to the rescue in the middle of the night through thunderstorms and blizzards to protect their neighbors.  “Stop and think what would happen if no one volunteered to put out our fires or respond to emergencies in our communities,” he said.

 
 

 

Harlan Newspapers

1114 7th Street
P.O. Box 721
Harlan, IA 51537-0721

(800) 909-6397
news2@harlanonline.com

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