SACRAMENTO -
The need for emergency services and firefighters is critical. So with the city of Sacramento already browning out fire departments and threatening to layoff firefighters why not consider using volunteer firefighters?
"We run over 70 thousand calls a year out of Metro Fire. We have to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We have to be able to respond immediately. We're just too large and we have too big of a population to rely on volunteers," said Capt. Christian Pebbles with the Sacramento Metro Fire District.
The Sacramento Metro Fire District does have reserve firefighters, but says it can't rely on them when emergency calls. And they're not just fighting fires, they're handling situations volunteers aren't typically trained for.
"We do everything now. From firefighting to swift water rescue, trench rescue, helicopters. We do it all," said Pebbles.
It's a different story in San Joaquin County where the Clements Fire Department relies solely on volunteers.
"It's budget. It's all about the money. Our budget is very small," said Chief Dave Ingrum.
A couple firefighters are staffed at it's one station, and the rest respond when paged.
"A lot of times when a call goes out it could be their next door neighbor. So we could have a volunteer that's an EMT there within two minutes," said Ingrum.
But Clements handles just 300 calls a year compared to the 70-thousand Sac Metro handles. Sacramento firefighters say it's just not realistic in a city this large.
"Volunteers usually respond from home. They come to the fire station, get the equipment and then go to the call. People are going to die in that amount of time," said Pebbles.
"We run over 70 thousand calls a year out of Metro Fire. We have to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We have to be able to respond immediately. We're just too large and we have too big of a population to rely on volunteers," said Capt. Christian Pebbles with the Sacramento Metro Fire District.
The Sacramento Metro Fire District does have reserve firefighters, but says it can't rely on them when emergency calls. And they're not just fighting fires, they're handling situations volunteers aren't typically trained for.
"We do everything now. From firefighting to swift water rescue, trench rescue, helicopters. We do it all," said Pebbles.
It's a different story in San Joaquin County where the Clements Fire Department relies solely on volunteers.
"It's budget. It's all about the money. Our budget is very small," said Chief Dave Ingrum.
A couple firefighters are staffed at it's one station, and the rest respond when paged.
"A lot of times when a call goes out it could be their next door neighbor. So we could have a volunteer that's an EMT there within two minutes," said Ingrum.
But Clements handles just 300 calls a year compared to the 70-thousand Sac Metro handles. Sacramento firefighters say it's just not realistic in a city this large.
"Volunteers usually respond from home. They come to the fire station, get the equipment and then go to the call. People are going to die in that amount of time," said Pebbles.
