DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – A lack of firefighters in Detroit Lakes is forcing the Fire Department to turn to other communities for aid when fighting fires within the city.
The Detroit Lakes Fire Department is down to just 23 members, seven short of being fully staffed at 30. With a smaller pool of fire fighters to fight fires in Detroit Lakes, Ryan Swanson Detroit Lakes Fire Chief says they’re being forced to call in mutual aid, “Three years ago we would have never pulled in a mutual aid for an in-town city call. Now when we’re basically a third of our department down we’re looking for that extra help as fast as possible.”
Swanson notes it isn’t just a Detroit Lakes problem, departments across the region are struggling to find volunteer firefighters. Last year, the city raised the pay per call for firefighters to help retain firefighters and draw in new ones. Despite those efforts, volunteers are still desperately needed.
“Hopefully the younger generation will find the need to serve and want to help out their communities. The long and short of it, if they don’t when people are in their worst day and their day of need there’s not going to be anybody or few people to come take care of that need.”
The Detroit Lakes Fire Department will host their next volunteer open house, July 6 from 6-7 p.m. for anyone interested in joining the department.
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