This is a touchy subject in any small town!

Volunteer departments are harder to run so most have converted to taxpayers expense.

It is not unusual for a volunteer fireman to have a full time job and also do his share of the work, however there has to be enough volunteers available to fill in when one whose turn comes up can not work that day.

So we hire mostly full-time firemen.

However we don't want to pay them enough to live well on in PTC, so they work out deals with other public services to also work there!

The details of such arangements when exposed always cause too many questions, so they aren't exposed for that reason.

Only one of the entities furnishes all of the health insurance, pension, retirement, etc., and the other pays as a contactor, normally,

It can get complicated, and can also be inefficient.

I have always voted for a few professionals who are willing to put up with the constant recruiting of volunteers, and to pay them better to do so.