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Lack
of
help
rings
alarm
By Nicholas M. Horrock
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Rappahannock County fire officials say there is a critical shortage of young volunteer firefighters in the county and during daytime business hours some companies are so depleted there would be nobody to answer a call.
Jack Atkins, president of the Rappahannock County Fire and Rescue Association, said that only 25 volunteers make most of the emergency calls in Rappahannock.
Amissville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief J. B. Carter said that fire coverage is most spotty on weekdays when so many volunteer fire- - fighters are out of the county.
Carter and other fire officials said the problem has been long recognized and anticipated, but has become critical in recent years.
County Administrator John McCarthy said it was one of those things off in the distance and “suddenly you realize it is now."
Rappahannock County’s plight is not so different than what is happening in much of rural America. The county is aging. Of the 6,983 persons counted in the 2000 U. S. census, 963 were over 65-years-of-age and 1,900 persons were over 55.
88.4%