Byline: SHANNON McCAFFREY Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Respect and admiration for firefighters have surged since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, but that has not translated into more people joining the depleted ranks of volunteer departments.
``We haven't seen the increase that we need. It's disappointing,'' said Heather Schafer, executive director of the National Volunteer Fire Council.
The vast majority of fire departments still are volunteer -- 19,224 out of a total of 26,354 departments.
The reasons for the decline vary, but the main cause seems to be that people are devoting more time to their jobs. ``We're competing against long hours …
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