In 2026, the size of New York State’s volunteer fire service is the smallest it has been in more than 40 years. Small towns rely on volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies like fires, drowning, fallen trees, missing persons and more. As the volunteer pool dries up, stations are forced to close or merge to rally a large enough response. Reporter Rebekah Hendricks spoke with John Hauschild the Director of Safety and Fire Coordinator of Sullivan County about how this issue affects us here in the Catskills.