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The sirens sounded. Within five minutes, trained emergency medical technicians and firefighters were on the scene in an ambulance and tanker truck.
Five minutes. That’s all it took on August 18 for Washington’s volunteers to reach the scene of an accident on Fodderstack Road. Five minutes to reach a spot just a few hundred yards from the site where, two years ago. a home burned to the ground while sirens wailed—and wailed—and wailed, their call unanswered for 20 minutes or more.
Five minutes response versus almost a half-hour. The difference lies in timing. For that house fire two years ago, the sirens went off during the morning hours of a weekday. On August 18, the call came around 8 p.m. in the evening.
During the work week. Washington’s volunteer fire department and rescue squad have precious few members available to respond to emergencies. The overwhelming majority of the active members of both organizations have jobs outside the county. They're ready to roll on weekends, on holidays and in the evenings but they’re miles away
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