MOORES MILL, Ala. — The once-struggling Moores Mill Volunteer Fire Department has made a remarkable comeback after facing a steep decline in firefighter staffing, with only 20 firefighters remaining.
According to PIO Zachary Trulson, the department was rapidly losing volunteers after the pandemic, WAFF reported.
With one of the highest call volumes in Madison County, the shortage led to burnout among the remaining firefighters, compounding the department’s challenges.
“Having those lower numbers led to even more people leaving the service, because not only were they running calls over and over and felt like they were the only ones putting in that effort, but also, they would have to go into a fire, they’d get maybe three minutes of downtime, and then have to go back inside of the fire as soon as their bottle gets changed out, which is just not a safe situation for them to be in,” Trulson said.
Since then, the department has nearly doubled its number of volunteers, now boasting 38 firefighters on the roster with more recruits currently in training.
Trulson credits the department’s revival to the launch of a new website, enhanced training programs and a policy change that allows out-of-area volunteers to join.
“The more people we get in, the more effectively we can rescue the public. If we did have 100 firefighters, then that would make it to where not everybody’s having to run every single call that comes out,” he added. “That number of 12 hours a month really only works when we have 100 people and it’s like we have 24-hour coverage.”
