There was once a waiting list to be a volunteer firefighter at the Cameron Fire Department, but now there’s almost always an opening.

“As time goes on it’s getting harder and harder to find volunteers for any type of thing that you need in general but volunteer firefighters across the nation is becoming a lot more difficult to find,” said Chief Mike O’Donnell with the Cameron Fire Department.

O’Donnell said when he started with the department in 1986 he had to wait for several years to volunteer.

“Now I have openings at the present time and have had for several years,” O’Donnell said.

The issue isn’t just limited to Cameron it’s a trend that’s being seen across the nation.

“The one big reason it becomes more difficult because firefighters work different jobs now then they used to,” O’Donnell said. “It used to be individuals lived and worked in their communities, now they may live in the community back work out of town.”

Volunteer in Cameron actually even get paid to go on calls.

“Paid per call fire fighters, it’s basically a firefighter that gets paid a fee every time they attend a fire call,” O’Donnell said. “It gives the firefighter a little bit of an incentive and pays for some of their bills for gasoline maybe for their car or clothes that they may ruin during a fire call or something of that nature.”

It’s a practice that has been going on with the Cameron department since before O’Donnell started with the department.  But finding firefighters is still a challenge even with paid calls.

Mike O’Donnell said he has 35 positions in his department, but only 29 are filled. He’s looking for volunteers for those six openings.

He said anyone interested can pick up application forms and return them to Cameron City Hall, 205 N. Main, between the hours of 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Questions contact Chief Mike O’Donnell at [email protected]