OSAGE COUNTY, Okla. — As wildfires raged across Oklahoma last month, on the front lines saving lives and belongings were volunteer firefighters.
But they often operate with limited resources.
April is National Volunteer Month, and 2 News listened to Green Country’s volunteer fire departments and championed these heroes.
Most of the time, volunteer fire departments aren’t very crowded. But whole crews of people are at their day job, always at the ready to respond to whatever is thrown at them.
Prue Volunteer Fire Department’s chief, Hunter Koyn, spoke to Braff over the phone while he was at his day job. He’s 23 years old and began his new chief role on Tuesday.
When asked what makes volunteer fire departments so great, he replied, “Man, honestly, it's serving the community. It's my favorite thing. I love talking to people.”
Rock Volunteer Fire Chief Charley Pearson told 2 News, “What makes 'em so great is the people that volunteer inside the department.”
Pearson took a break from managing his cattle to chat with us.
When asked how many people they have, Pearson said there are 28, adding that “every one of 'em [is a volunteer]. There's not a paid person in this department.”
Both chiefs told us staffing and bringing on younger people aren’t issues for them. However, the two agree on their greatest challenge: funding.
“We try to help the community,” said Koyn. “But the community, also, we need their help and getting funding and everything.”
Both rely on grants, donations, dues, and fundraisers to finance their operations, saying their respective communities come out in tow.
“It's a joint effort,” Pearson remarked. “We help them, they turn around and help us so we can come back to 'em.”
“We are just neighbors helping neighbors,” Koyn emphasized. “This department runs on heart and sacrifice and community support.”
But the days can be grueling. Rock and Prue volunteer fire departments sent crews to help other agencies battle last month’s wildfires.
“We spent, you know, 14, 16-hour days — some guys 24 hours on,” Koyn mentioned.
“The people that donate to you, the life that you potentially saved is worth every bit of it to me,” he also said. “It’s actually making me tear up as we speak right now. It is such a rewarding feeling.”
Pearson has volunteered since he was in high school. Four generations of his family served with this fire department.
“We didn't have all this stuff that we have now, but back when I was in high school, you know, we all joined together, and we all fought fire together,” he recalled, saying that they cover a lot more medical emergencies nowadays.
When asked what he thinks about the future of volunteer fire departments, he replied, “Oh, I think the future is bright.”
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