RALEIGH COUNTY -
59News crews were one of the first on the scene of a raging car fire. It happened on Interstate 77 North around 10 a.m. in Raleigh County. When our crew drove by, they called 911 then started rolling.
Two Concord freshmen in a Ford Focus were able to get out before the car caught fire and for emergency crews it's a race against the clock.
Dispatchers said they were first alerted to the fire at 10:13 a.m. on Monday.
First to arrive on scene was a member of homeland security helping to direct traffic. Next, our news crews, followed by state police and finally, close to 30 minutes later around 10:40 a.m., the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department.
"As far as volunteers go, they do have full time jobs and its hard," said B.J. Okes with the Beaver Volunteer Fire Dept. "The tones go off even when you are at work."
In Raleigh County, the only paid fire service is the City of Beckley. The other 13 in the county operate on a volunteer basis. There are 450 volunteer fire departments in West Virginia.
Seconds could make the difference between life or death and for some folks in the area, they are willing to pay more to get some full-time firefighters.
"I pay $50 right now, but I would gladly pay $100. It is worth every penny," Bobby Blankenship of Raleigh County said.
Blankenship said in his 12-years living in the area, he has only made one call to the fire department and would like to keep it that way. Several years ago he was having chest pains and needed help getting to the emergency room.
He said the volunteer fire department was quick on their response time, but sympathizes with the challenges they face.
"I would like to see more firefighters there if they had the money to afford it," Blankenship said.
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