AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — This weekend, the North Bailey Fire Company was one of hundreds of fire departments across New York to take part in "RecruitNY" — a statewide effort to get more volunteers in a uniform.
Sam Lunetta, a North Bailey Fire Co. firefighter, said he hasn't looked back since he first started volunteering.
"I've been doing this since I was 16-years-old," Lunetta said. "I started from high school and then carried it on through then."
Lunetta said the demand for volunteers within the company is never ending.
"It's a constant need. There's no question about it," he said.
Robin Hicks is another volunteer with the company, and she said her twelve years in uniform developed from a desire to serve her neighbors.
"I just really wanted to be able to help my neighbors, family and community," Hicks said.
As a woman in a male-dominated field, she said the connections she has made have exceeded her expectations.
"The bond that I made with my fellow firefighters here — I wasn't expecting it, and it's been great," she said.
The Firefighter's Association of New York reports the state is in dire need of volunteers.
"Recruitment is not just today. It's an ongoing thing," Lunetta said. "Think about how you can help your community by going to the fire companies and seeing what they do and how they work as teams to become a family and go out and help everyone else."
The North Bailey Fire volunteers said to simply head over to your local fire company if you're interested in joining the force.
"Whatever it takes. Do it," Hicks said. "You can do anything you put your mind to, and you're welcome with open arms. Everyone is needed and appreciated."
