A shortage of volunteer firefighters on Bainbridge Island is forcing the fire department to get creative in recruiting.
It's a job where every second counts and every responder is important. On Bainbridge Island, 34 percent of the firefighters are volunteers.
Fire Chief Hank Teran said, "There is a shortage of volunteers on the island, absolutely. There is a seat, right in this fire engine here for a volunteer. And I would say probably 90 percent of our shifts go by without a volunteer sitting in the seat."
Teran is trying new tactics to bring in more volunteers, including actively recruiting outside his city. In some cases, even offering a $1,000 monthly stipend to volunteers that qualify.
“The training that our firefighters have to have, volunteers included, it's tremendous,” Teran said.
But the emergencies don't stop, even if the department understaffed. On this day, two medical calls came within minutes of each other, and both patients needed transport off the island to a Seattle hospital.
Teran said his volunteer recruits are in good position for a future with the department.
"Volunteerism runs in our blood and we tend to hire a lot of our own volunteer firefighters,” Teran said.