North Shore Rural Fire Brigade (RFS) is calling on the community to bolster its volunteer firefighter numbers in Port Macquarie.
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The brigade is expected to host two information sessions and free barbecue days at 6pm on Tuesday, July 2 and noon on Saturday, July 6, to inspire new members.
Deputy captain Tim Hitchins said many regional units, including North Shore, were in vital need of new members and volunteers.
"There is a need for volunteers. All Rural Fire Service units at the moment are struggling for volunteers and members," said Mr Hitchins.
"A lot of people are retiring or moving away and we need new people to come in to keep the service going.
"We have three trucks here, 14 seats in total and if there's not a firefighter in every one of those seats then the trucks aren't working to full capacity.
"If we had 20 or 30 active firefighters, that allows us to have a faster and stronger response to incidents.
"If we don't have anyone from our brigade, you might be waiting 20 or 30 minutes for someone to come across the river."
The North Shore Rural Fire Brigade is based at 351 Shoreline Drive and responds to about 30 to 40 calls for assistance each year.
The brigade currently has 40 members with around 12 operational firefighting personnel.
Bush firefighter Ron Rosser, who joined the brigade in July 2018, said he joined to be part of the community.
"It's a pretty close knit community," said Mr Rosser. "I thought when I retired that I had better get out and do something.
"We're the first response for emergency situations on the North Shore."
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