Nationwide campaign to recruit volunteer firefighters
BRUNSWICK, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- There's a new nationwide push to recruit more volunteer firefighters.
Most towns in Maine rely on volunteers that often have full time jobs out of town; so when fire breaks in the afternoon - like it did in Bridgton Tuesday - it can be tough to find enough manpower.
Bridgton Deputy Chief Corin Meehan said they were fighting that fire for the first half hour with just four people, which severely hinders their ability to knock it down.
Bill Guindon, the director of the Maine Fire Service Institute, said this is a growing problem nationwide. Guindon was on a conference call Wednesday afternoon with the National Volunteer Fire Council and other fire leaders throughout the country to learn more about a new effort to recruit volunteers to small towns.
