IBERIA PARISH, La. ( KLFY ) – Low recruitment numbers for first responders continues to be an issue across the country, but it doesn’t stop those already on the job from providing their service to the community.

Here in Acadiana, Iberia Parish Fire Chief Guy Bonin says although his department is experiencing these issues, the immediate response time his team delivers along with their commitment to the community, more than makes up for it.

“We’re going to show up,” Bonin said. “You will never know that we don’t have the people to do the job because we will call anyone we need if we need a hand. That’s where the heart of what we do is where it is. It’s in our heart.”

Bonin says the trend of low recruitment numbers began years ago, but got worse after the pandemic. He says the department is capable of holding up to 32 firefighters but only have 27. Bonin says there were no issues with a shortage of workers or volunteers before hand. The problem stretches across other fire departments. As no new ones come in, recruiting from other departments has become their go to.

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“That’s our biggest thing right now is we pretty much cannibalize each other by taking people from elsewhere,” he said.

Bonin said his department responds to more than just fires. They require first-responder training for all employees to help assist the other departments. In 2023, they responded to over 3,000 calls of service. 65% to 70% of those calls are for medical help. Bonin says they are more of a fire service than a department because of this and helping the other first responders is the best way to get the job done and could be the difference in saving someone’s life.

“They back us up,” he said. “We back them up and just it’s just a working relationship that we have to have. If we don’t, we can’t exist to do what we have to do.”

If you’re interested in a fire service career, reach out to your local department for more information.

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