4-16-12: Courtesy of WIVB. Volunteer firefighters often are the people who come running when you call for help in case of a fire. But their ranks in some area are dangerously thin. They show up with sirens roaring and lights flashing. They are the faces of the volunteers who respond to fires throughout Erie County, saving lives while dousing flames. But about 600 more are needed, says Dan Neaverth, Jr., County Commissioner of Emergency Services. “Traditionally, the problem that we face in Erie County is that for every firefighter that comes in, you might lose one or two. It’s slowly been slipping. As a result of that, the scale has started to diminish,” he lamented. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz explained, “As our population gets smaller and as our population gets older, just like every other part of this community, we’re seeing less volunteers in the effort and we need more.” Poloncarz says the population is dropping, but the calls for help keep coming in. “What hasn’t dropped is the need in our community,” he added. While firefighters say there is a job for anyone who wants to volunteer, the fact is some smaller stations throughout the county are reaching seriously low levels during what’s called the “critical hours” – 9-5 or 8-4, during the day. David Jacobowitz is the president of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York and says these volunteer stations are having to reach out to other agencies for help, when resources are low. “What we’re doing is

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