By Kerri Pepoy,Staff Writer

PARIS – The Fire Department is recruiting new members to help ease the strain of an increasing number of emergencies, but more state-mandated training could complicate the effort, Fire Chief Brad Frost said Tuesday.

Frost said three new members will be added to the department by the end of the month. That will bring the total number of active firefighters to “roughly 24” and recruitment efforts will continue, he said.

However the state has increased the amount of training that firefighters must undergo, and that has discouraged some people from joining the department, Frost said.

Paris firefighters responded to 239 emergency calls in 2005, versus 195 in 2004, 185 in 2003, and 171 in 2002.

Frost said additional members would help handle the workload, but the state has increased training requirements in recent years. For example, firefighters must now be trained in traffic control, a regulation the state implemented last year.

“It turns a lot of people away,” he said. “They want to join and be active in the community, but when you come up with more training that the state mandates, it just turns a lot of people away.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do if they keep increasing training.”

Frost said the yearly increases in emergency calls have placed a strain not only on active firefighters but also on their employers because it results in more absences during the workday.

Paris firefighters, with the exception of Frost, have outside jobs and get paid by the Fire Department only when they respond to an emergency.

“With the number of calls we’ve had, it just puts more of a strain not just on the Fire Department but employers too with (firefighters) leaving work,” he said.

It can also impact one’s paycheck. “I don’t know of (any employers) that pay someone when they’ve gone to a fire. It’s getting harder for people to leave work,” Frost said.

It’s also hard on families. “It’s a big commitment,” he said. “It takes a lot of time away from families.”

The Fire Department responds not only to fires but also to major accidents and any accidents involving spills such as oil or chemicals.