The American Red Cross is facing a volunteer shortage as the number of house fires in the Tennessee Valley increases

Huntsville, Ala. (WAFF) – In just the past two weeks, there have been several house fires here in the Tennessee Valley. Around this time of year, that’s not surprising, says Chris Anderson of the Red Cross.

“Unfortunately, every time the seasons change — we go from summer, [to fall,] to winter,” he said. “We’re seeing an increase in the number of fires that we have — sometimes a significant increase.”

On average, members of the American Red Cross respond to nine incidents each week. When a fire breaks out, Anderson says its volunteers are the first to respond. But the number of volunteers has decreased.

“We just lost volunteers to COVID and so we weren’t able to recruit as many volunteers during this time. There are not many recruitment efforts coming up, we are in desperate need of volunteers right now. “

You don’t need to have a certain number of qualifications or a certain type of work to be a volunteer.

“You don’t have to be a retired manager, a volunteer firefighter. These are teachers, bank presidents, you name it. Think about it, wherever you are assigned or whatever you do, you will be a great Red Cross volunteer if you have a heart and care and compassion for the people in your community. “

If you are interested in volunteering, you can click here Here to address

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