They give their own time to help keep their neighbors safe.

But for most volunteer firefighters, the cost is more than just their time.

Fire Instructor Richard Parks said, "I'm going to tell you when you're raising ladders, you're out there, you're thinking about the ladders and the first thing you're going to forget about is raising the ladders and looking for the overhead power lines."

And like their jobs, interruptions' can come at any time.

Drills are a part of training most Tennessee's volunteer firefighters would like to have, but too few have the opportunity to get.

Parks said, "Fifteen seconds the truck will be gone. You'll be standing here without your gear on watching it leave."

And some feel that leaves many of the states volunteer firefighters unprepared.

Chapel Hill Fire Chief Paul Rigsby said, "It's very important. If you don't know what you're doing, you're not going to help anybody, and you can actually do more harm than good if you don't know what you're doing."

That's why volunteers gathered in Chapel Hill.

They've come from all over the southern part of the state to the basic firefighting course at Chapel Hill's volunteer fire station.

Most all volunteer firefighters would like to have training.

A volunteer in training said, "The more training the better, you can't ask for more training you really can't."

But it's not that simple.

Due to being volunteer, a lot of people in training aren't able to put in the hours required to get the proper training.

They're willing to help, but they just don't have the time to take long classes because in addition to full time jobs, they have families.

Chief Rigsby is hosting this class in Chapel Hill so his volunteers and others from the area can get more training.

But he worries if training and certification were required of all volunteer firefighters, his and other departments might loose much needed manpower.

Rigsby said, "You're probably going to cut down on the number of people because only a certain amount of people are available to put in that kind of dedication and training."

And then there's money. Full time firefighters in Tennessee receive supplemental income to help pay for needed training.

It's a benefit that 27,000 volunteer and part-time firefighters are not eligible to receive.

Rigsby said, "These guys out here being willing to go ahead and leave their family in the middle of the night and go out here and risk their lives for their neighbors out in this area out here is very admirable and we want to try to give them the training to go back home to their families when its over."

Last year, the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association pushed for new legislation to make more volunteer firefighter training mandatory.

The bill also offers supplemental pay for volunteers and part timers to help pay for training.

Neither bill made it out of committee. Supporters say they'll try again in the next legislative session.

Republished with permission from WKRN-TV