By Benji Bergstrand

When fighting a fire every minute counts. This is something Bluffton Fire Chief Jon Kinn knows all too well. “An active fire can double in size every 5 minutes. A small ‘room and contents’ fire can turn into a full structure fire in no time if no one is there to fight it.” Kinn said.

 Thankfully Kinn and the Bluffton Volunteer Fire Department are there to fight fires in and around Bluffton, but they are being asked to do so in increasingly challenging conditions as volunteer numbers drop while service calls increase. 

The proposed levy that will be on the ballot in November would provide funding for equipment for the fire department if it passes but would not address the need for volunteers. “We saw a decline in volunteerism after Covid, but the call volume actually increased,” Kinn said. “That compounded pretty quickly.” 

The trend that Kinn sees locally is mirrored in national numbers. According to the National Volunteer Fire Council, the number of volunteer firefighters reached an all-time low in 2020 while call volumes have tripled over the last 35 years. 

Kinn is quick to stress that despite the need for volunteers the department still provides high quality fire protection. “Our rating with the Insurance Services Office is a 4 which is almost unheard of for a town our size,” Kinn said. “That rating shows the quality of our firefighting service, and it saves Bluffton residents on their insurance rates.”

Providing service at this level is not easy and Kinn is aware of the toll this can take on the volunteers. “I always want more out of my members and myself,” Kinn said. “We always strive to be the best we can. We are getting to the point where on certain calls I get a little nervous if we’re going to have enough and that’s where mutual aid comes in.” 

Mutual aid is when neighboring departments help each other respond to emergencies by providing firefighters and equipment to fill in gaps. Bluffton is a provider of aid to other departments as well as a receiver of this service. The more Bluffton can provide their own service the better response times will be. “Our response time would get faster with more volunteers,” Kinn said. “I get there pretty quick but then I have to wait for the cavalry to come in.”

Volunteering with the Bluffton Fire Department is an incredible service to the community according to Kinn. “Having hometown fire and EMS rather than relying on a neighboring community is invaluable,” he said. 

Kinn also sees great benefits to the volunteers themselves. “Volunteering in Bluffton is special because in a town this size we know each other, and it makes it even more important to help. The feeling you get from giving back to your town and your fellow neighbors is priceless.”

For more information about volunteering with the Bluffton Fire Department call Chief Jon Kinn’s office at 419-358-2066.