“Think about it, if it were you, if your house were on fire, [...] if your family was the one calling 911, would you want people to come?” Delavan's Fire Chief Chris Sydney posed this harrowing hypothetical when he, Sam Springer, and Will LaFary – two of the department’s newest volunteer firefighters sat down with us to talk about what the squad means to them and how the department is being affected by the diminishing numbers of volunteers. Recently, the Delavan Dispatch highlighted the issue of declining volunteer rates, but let’s dig deeper and explore what that means for the community. 

The Delavan Fire Department is a non-medical unit that provides peace of mind to the township by tending to incidents, whether they’re huge like car accidents, downed power lines, field and/or house fires, or smaller things, such as checking properties when carbon monoxide detectors go off and showing up to investigate if you think you smell smoke in your home. But since joining in 2001, Chief Sydney states he’s seen a steady decline in volunteers. 

“The Delavan Fire Department equipment is top-notch”, he said. “But without [people] to use it, the equipment is useless”. At its lowest, the department had 14 members, but it’s now home to 17 volunteer firefighters. The recent uptick is thanks to the force’s three newest members, Springer, LaFary, and Tony Graffis, who were welcomed with open arms. When asked about the environment at the firehouse, the two newest members described their first month on the squad as “nothing short of warm and inviting". Springer went on to state “everyone here has been very inviting and very welcoming to the point you know everyone’s been in your shoes before.” LaFary added that “there’s a lot of people who have been on the team for close to 20 years, there’s just so much knowledge, not only on the firefighting side, but for life, they’ve made it easy for us to learn and just given us every opportunity we could want”. 

Joining a fire squad is a big deal; it’s a time commitment, one that has the chance to be dangerous. But for the courageous people who dedicate themselves to it, they find a kinship that knows no bounds. A community of people dedicated to keeping you safe and providing you with a subconscious inner peace, knowing that someone always has your back. Though beware that this insurance only exists for as long as people are willing to join. Talking to three firefighters: a husband and father, a farmer in the height of harvest season, and a student of astrophysics, they will tell you that the time commitment is manageable. It’s not a matter of how much time this costs; it’s just a matter of being there when your pager goes off. Beyond that, it’s showing up for your monthly training sessions. 

Would you be Delavan’s next firefighter? Before you answer that, remember the posed scenario: If it were you or your family, would you want someone to drop what they’re doing to rush to your aid? Could you be the person to give this community that peace of mind? We need our firefighters, but right now, our firefighters need you. Whether you are like Chris Sydney and Sam Springer, for whom being a firefighter was a gift passed down from father to son, like Will LaFary, who felt the calling to give back to the town that raised him, or just someone with some extra time on your hands looking for a purpose, consider heading down to the fire department to ask for an interview.