Behind the emergency lights and gear, volunteer firefighters are ordinary people juggling full-time jobs, families and exhaustion.

Despite that, firefighters like those at the Beauregard Volunteer Fire Department continue to choose to respond when their community needs help.

For many volunteer firefighters, helping people gives them a sense of purpose.

“It lets the community know there are people out there who care — and will come at the drop of a hat,” said Kathryn Jolley, a firefighter for the Beauregard Volunteer Fire Department.

That mindset is what keeps volunteers answering calls, even when the physical and emotional toll adds up. Fires, medical emergencies, wrecks and overnight calls do not wait for convenient timing. Neither do the volunteers.

The Path to the Firehouse

In the department’s 26 active personnel, every member has a story and a different path into the service they now call home.

Some volunteers come from medical training backgrounds. Others grew up around firefighters and want to continue the tradition, like the department’s newest and youngest member, Lelia Parker.

Others come through marriage.

“I grew up with a family that had firefighters in it but never got interested until I met him,” Amanda Jones, the public information officer for the department, said. She is married to Beauregard Capt. Wes Jones. “And then I got bit by the bug, and I love it.”

Her husband said he joined the department after moving to Beauregard.

“I wanted to do a little bit more, and that is why I started and began helping my community,” Capt. Jones said. “I have loved it ever since.”

What starts as curiosity often leads to long-term commitment.

Some members have served for five years. Others, like Fire Chief Mike Holden, have served for more than a decade. What keeps them coming back, firefighters say, is not adrenaline, but connection.

A Second Family

Inside the Beauregard department, firefighters describe a family-like bond built through shared experiences, trust and reliance on one another during high-pressure moments.

“It still feels like the first time stepping off the truck,” Captain Jones said. “You’ve got brothers and sisters you can lean on, especially on a bad day.”

That bond grows year after year, call after call. It is what carries the firefighters through the calls that leave a lasting impact.

On Feb. 1, the department responded to a fatal fire. A call that marked the first fire fatality for many members. The following night, firefighters held a debriefing, allowing those who responded to talk through the call and check in on each other.

In the days and weeks that followed, they continued to check up on one another.

“If one of us hurts, we all hurt,” Amanda Jones said. “We lean on each other a lot.”

Training for the Unexpected

Volunteering does not mean untrained.

Beauregard firefighters train twice a month, where they learn how to operate engines, brush trucks, and specialized equipment. They also train for search-and-rescue scenarios and practice for situations that rarely go as planned.

“You never know what you are walking into,” firefighter Kathryn Jolley said. “A call can say one thing, and when you get there, it is something completely different.”

That preparation builds trust, not just within the department but with neighboring agencies.

Over the past two months, the Beauregard Volunteer Fire Department has responded to or requested mutual or automatic aid for fires. Firefighters and departments rely on each other to serve communities that mean so much to them.

“It’s just the reliability of working together, getting to know each other,” Holden said. “When we bring other departments in, or go work with them, it builds camaraderie.”

Trust and reliability, firefighters say, are a safety issue.

“You have to trust the people you are working with,” Amanda Jones said. “If you don’t, someone gets hurt.”

Balancing Life and the Radios

Unlike career departments, volunteers respond when they are available. Most of the firefighters at Beauregard hold full-time jobs or have families, making daytime or overnight calls challenging.

“We are volunteers,” Amanda Jones said. “Our families and jobs come first. But when we can run, we run.”

The goal remains the same for day or night calls: arrive as quickly as possible and help those in need.

Still, volunteers like those at Beauregard and other departments in Lee and nearby Russell counties still ask for grace. Response times from firefighters can vary, but the intent never does.

Jones said firefighters do the best they can, with the shared goal of keeping everyone safe at all times.

Serving and Educating the Community

Beyond responding to emergency calls, volunteers also focus on prevention and outreach. To spread fire safety information and reduce the risk of outdoor fires, they use social media, word of mouth, and school visits.

Firefighters are also working to make themselves less intimidating for children and even adults.

In emergencies, firefighter Ashley Pulsifer said gear, sirens, and heavy equipment, like the jaws of life, can be frightening.

“If a child wants to see the truck or touch the equipment, we let them,” Capt. Jones said.

Pulsifer said firefighters want children and adults to understand they are helpers, not something to fear.

“We want them to know it is OK to call us,” Pulsifer said. “We are just coming to help.”

Firefighter Justin Gavins said the community should not hesitate to call, as no situation is too big or too small.

The Cost

Keeping a department that covers more than 115 square miles operational requires funding and community support.

Like other departments in the county, Beauregard primarily receives funding from a fire fee assessed on permanent structures within the district, collected alongside property taxes. Donations and grants to help supplement equipment, training and operations.

That support directly impacts readiness and responses.

Last year, the department responded to more than 1,200 calls, most of them medical-related, with fires and mutual aid responses remaining a constant demand. The department is on track to reach similar numbers in 2026, Chief Holden said.

A Call for More Volunteers

Despite the workload, departments like Beauregard face a shortage of volunteers.

“It takes heart,” firefighters said collectively.

Dedication and the ability to face the unexpected are also essential.

Being a volunteer firefighter is not for everyone, and that is OK, Jones said. That is why potential recruits are encouraged to visit, observe training and ask questions before committing.

“You don’t realize how fulfilling it is until you’re in it,” Amanda Jones said.

Those interested in becoming volunteer firefighters can visit the station on Alabama Highway 51, fill out applications, and come meet department members.

For those who do choose to answer the call, the reward is not a paycheck. It is trust, the sense of purpose, and knowing that when someone in the community needs help, someone will show up.