The Decorah Fire Department needs 5 or 6 new firefighters

(Photo courtesy of Decorah Fire Department)

It's been a busy 2018 so far for the Decorah Fire Department.  Last week alone it had several calls, including a 230-acre field fire and a fire that shut down Water Street in downtown Decorah.

In fact, the department has responded to 69 calls so far this year--more than double the 27 calls it had responded to by this time last year.

The busy spring comes at a time when the number of Decorah firefighters is lower than Chief Mike Ashbacher would like.  Ashbacher tells decorahnews.com the department could use "five or six" new firefighters so it has more personnel to respond to calls.  He says last week, for instance, a call of a tipped propane tank that was leaking came in after firefighters responded to a field fire, so only one firefighter was available to handle the new call.

But Ashbacher wants to stress that becoming a firefighter "is not a Monday through Friday, 8 to 4 job."  He says some people who have joined the fire department have quit six or 12 months later because of the demands of the position.

A big problem is finding people whose jobs allow them to also work as a firefighter.  Ashbacher says several Decorah firefighters have jobs that take them out of town, so they can respond to nighttime and weekend calls, but not daytime calls.  Even among people who work in Decorah, some have employers who do not allow employees to leave their jobs, while others can leave their jobs--but don't get paid by their employers.

That's not to mention the missed family events that can happen because of middle-of-the-night fire calls.

So Ashbacher is welcoming new volunteers, but he wants to make sure they understand the nature of the job.  He says it costs $5,000 for equipment and training for a new firefighter, so he wants to make sure the new volunteer will stay around for awhile.

For those who are interested in finding out more about being a firefighter, they can stop by the fire station at any time to pick up an application.  The Chief also recommends people interested in becoming a firefighter stop by the fire station on the first, third or fourth Wednesday nights of the month, when current firefighters do their drills.