The Jersey Village Fire Department is need of volunteers in hopes to continue to offer the critical service at little cost to the city.

It has about 30 volunteers, but on average just six to nine respond to an emergency on a regular basis, said Mark Bitz, fire chief.

"The service hasn't diminished," he said. "When a call comes in for an emergency incident, every unit that is needed on the scene responds. We just aren't seeing as many people come out."

Using volunteers instead of a fulltime staff saves the city as much as $1.5 million per year, according to Bitz.

Volunteer firefighters must go through an academy that is run by various area fire departments. The course is free and takes four months to complete, with classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. EMS volunteers must pay for a medical training class up front and will be reimbursed after one year on the job.

The fire department puts out the call for new volunteers about twice a year in hopes of getting interest from new residents in the community, preferably those who had previous firefighting experience, Bitz said. The department specifically needs Jersey Village residents because those in the immediate area can respond to calls as quickly as possible.

"The day of the volunteer is slowly disappearing," he said. "We are starting to see the current volunteer pool diminish. When I first got here in 2003, we had 50 volunteers. If we don't start looking for volunteers now and keep getting the community to help, the city would have to start looking at a paid service."

The fire department protects the 8,000 people within the city limits and assists in accidents and medical emergencies on the nearby Hwy. 290 roadway.

The number of fires the department responds to varies. It handled two in one week near the end of March, but it can go up to two months without seeing one, Bitz said.

Besides fighting fires, the department responds to emergency medical, rescue and hazardous material incidents. Approximately 74 percent of the calls it fields are medical related, which can consist of motor vehicle accidents, chest pains, seizures and sick calls to name a few.

The department sees additional action due to its agreement with neighboring Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department, in which they assist with each other's calls.

"We are on automatic response with them so if they have a fire one of our engines or our rescue truck, depending on what they want, will respond with them," Bitz said.

For more info, call 713-466-2130.