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If you thought "all-volunteer" meant informal, think again! This issue we look at the amazing traditions and commitment of volunteer fire and emergency workers in the U.S., and the challenges faced today by these programs. We know that other countries also rely on citizens to donate their time to firefighting, search and rescue, ambulance and other emergency services and hope that readers will respond to this article by sharing trends in their part of the world.

Though the response to natural disasters always provides visibility to emergency volunteer effort, the recent terrorist events have made the public even more aware of the role of volunteers in protecting lives and property during fires and emergencies. These volunteer roles demand extensive training, time and commitment. In these days of busy lives and young people leaving their small communities in large numbers, how are these all-volunteer or combination staff-volunteer fire stations faring?

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This article was published in e-Volunteerism: The Electronic Journal of the Volunteer Community. Subscribe now to access all the articles.