COWLITZ COUNTY -- We hear all the time about the methamphetamine epidemic in the Northwest, but did you know the problem could affect your next call to 911?
Many fire departments rely on volunteers, but those who were once willing to serve their community are deciding that the risks are just too great these days.
In Cowlitz County, volunteers are putting in upwards of 750 hours a year, in large part because of the methamphetamine problem.
Nearly 80 percent of all calls in the county are somehow drug-related and that means volunteers need more training.
"Someone walks up from the neighborhood and says 'that's a drug house. Watch out. I think they've got a lab in there.' That's a huge issue. Now we've got our people not only in a structure fire, but also in a HAZMAT situation," says Assistant Chief Alan Headley with Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue.
More and more would-be volunteers are saying no thanks, which is creating a serious shortage.
They are feeling the pinch at Lexington Station where 12 volunteers, who are responding to around 400 calls a year, run the firehouse.
"It affects the morale of the firefighters because ultimately, they have to take on more of the load," says Volunteer Supervisor Scott Neves. "Also, it makes it more dangerous because if we don't have more people on the scene, that affects the whole operation. And ultimately, the public."
That is because you have to wait longer for firefighters from other stations to fill the gaps in a business where minutes can mean lives.
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