FLORA VISTA, N.M. (AP) -- Susan Baron is a mother of nine and although some of her children are grown and have left home, she still finds time to respond to Flora Vista residents when they are in need of emergency aid.
Baron, a safety lieutenant with the Flora Vista Fire Department, holds down a full-time job at Wal-Mart where her husband, Serge Baron, also works.
Serge Baron is the chief of the fire department, which, like others in the county, survives solely on volunteers within the district.
''It's a family affair,'' said Susan Baron, who became fully involved with the department one week before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
''I like the idea of being a volunteer,'' Susan Baron said. ''I don't need a pay check to help someone in need. If there is a call and I'm heading out to work, I'm going out. I'll be late to work somebody needs me.''
However, county fire departments are losing increasing numbers of devoted volunteers like the Barons.
San Juan County Fire Chief Larry Marcum said areas of the county are still at a high risk simply because there are too few volunteers to respond to area emergencies.
''There's about 320 now,'' Marcum said. ''We need more than 100 more volunteers.''
The county began a televised advertising campaign hoping to entice residents to step forward.
Marcum announced the plans for the ads in May. More than a month later, he said eight to 10 people have expressed an interest in becoming a volunteer.
After sitting at Wal-Mart for a day, Susan Baron pulled in another five interested recruits.
''I'm hoping I get all of them,'' she said.
But Marcum said simply stating ones intentions to work does not make them a firefighter.
They must first complete two to three weeks of training and pass a thorough background check before being placed on active duty. An individual must also have a good driving record and be reasonably healthy and physically fit for the often grueling demands of the job.
''They need to be willing to make a bona fide commitment to the district they are within. It's hard to encourage people to do it because it's so demanding,'' he said.
Marcum said the county lost about 50 volunteer firefighters last year. They had hoped to gain just as many.
With 22 registered volunteers and 15 active, the Flora Vista Fire Department is better off than many others in sparsely populated areas of the county.
Marcum said portions of the county, mostly near the Navajo Nation, are left virtually unguarded because of the lack of personnel.
Other communities such as Shiprock, Newcomb and others along U.S. Highway 550 are the most at risk.
Eventually, county residents are going to have to be concerned over the lack of personnel, Marcum said.
''If there aren't enough volunteers, we'll make do with what we have, but we may have fires with more damage. Some are going to be big and bad,'' he said.
The County also hopes to get County Commission approval to purchase a new fire tanker for the Flora Vista Fire Department. The old tanker was in use more than 25 years until the engine and transmission recently gave out.
The new tanker, which will likely come unequipped, would be used wherever its needed in the county.
Susan Baron said the department there has been loaned a tanker until the new one is purchased.
''Being that we are right in the middle of fire season, I don't want to have the district without one,'' Marcum said.
At no time is the firefighter shortage more apparent than during an emergency, especially during the active fire season, which began last month and lasts until August.
Crews were dispatched to battle a six-acre grass fire northeast of Aztec last week.
''The winds picked that up quickly,'' Marcum said.
County residents trying to conduct controlled burns to remove cheat grass on their property have kept firefighters busy.
''We have had a dozen serious fires in the last 10 days. There have been damaged buildings and several others in danger. Add to that a lack of volunteers and it's tough,'' Marcum said.
He pleaded with residents not to burn their weeds or other brush.
