The Disappearing Volunteer: The Demise of the Volunteer Firefighter Imagine you are a new mother or father. You are home alone with your newborn baby when all of a sudden; you realize she is not breathing. You call 9-11, frantic for help. Suddenly, you see your neighbor in your house. He is a volunteer with the local fire department, and was home when he heard the call come in. He is calm as he takes the baby from you and starts doing infant chest compressions. He talks to you, tells you what he is doing, his voice calm and reassuring. You hear sirens coming down your street. The ambulance and the rest of the fire department have arrived. Your baby starts breathing on her own. The Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technician’s take her in the…show more content… The doctor at the hospital says she is going to be okay. If not for your neighbor being a volunteer firefighter, who knows what the outcome would have been. Or, imagine you are asleep, warm and cozy in your bed. You hear an annoying beeping sound coming from outside your bedroom door. You jolt awake when you realize it is the smoke detector going off. You smell smoke. It is almost suffocating. You hear sirens as the fire department responds. You are unable to get out, but luckily, the fire department is there. The local volunteer fire department has responded to your aid in the middle of the night. You hear men shouting. You open a window, yelling out “Help!”. The fire chief spots you, and commands his team to get a ladder. You climb out your window when they motion for you. You cannot tell if the firefighter carrying you down the ladder is a man or a woman. You do not care. They are strong and able. You are safe. These brave men and women got out of their warm and cozy beds in the middle of the night to come to the aid of a