A member of a local community might not realize the devastating aspect of a decrease in volunteerism until they have a personal emergency. Think of someone having to wait for an ambulance at home because either there are no volunteers to cover the call, or there is no funding available so the people in the community have to rely on paid, out of town agencies to get to the sick person. The non-local emergency services not only take precious time to get there, but also costs the people in need of help much more money. A decrease in qualified Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel is a result of higher training demands by the Department of Health (DOH), less available personal time as a result of increased employment needs, and a lack of incentives for unpaid service.

Firstly, the initial training for someone going into a basic life support course is approximately 100 hours in length. Classes usually meet once a week for ten months. These classes incorporate lecture with labs to develop upcoming emergency medical personnel's skill level. At the end of the course, the students then have to complete a practical skills exam, which the students have to pass in order to move on to the written evaluation. Once new emergency medical responders find out that they passed their tests to certify them, the training does not just end there. In order for emergency medical technicians in New York State to keep their certification, they must recertify every three years either by going through another course or by doing the recertification program that's been developed through the Department of Health and the participating region in which they live. These programs are developed to help keep a person's continuing medical education and to help them keep proficient with new updates in regards to his/her medical skills. With keeping certifications' up to date; training also does impact upon the amount of personal time the emergency medical responders' do have. The lack of the amount of personal time has had an impact on the amount of people who are willing to volunteer their time to spend going to train to become an emergency medical technician.

Secondly, there are many things outside of work that could reduce the amount of time emergency medical responders put into volunteerism. Employers today are very reluctant to give time off to emergency personnel if they are needed because of the increased demands of business. Individuals in the health care industry have additional limits to the amount of time spent in emergency medical volunteerism, such as not being able to leave the hospital due to neglect of a patient that they are already taking care of. Also, health care professionals run the risk of provider burn-out. With today's economy, some individuals have to work two jobs in order to make ends meet, which decreases the amount of time they have to put into volunteerism. Not only does the volunteer have to make time for work, EMS trainings, monthly squad meetings, and going to help out the neighbor at 3 A.M. who just got sick, but they have to make time to be with their family. Between work, family, and volunteering there is a time balance that has to be met because you have to have enough time for yourself and other obligations.

Next, there is a lack of incentives for volunteer services. The emergency medical responder usually will supply and pay for such things as the clothing and the light for their vehicle, but the fire department usually supply the equipment and gear. Small local fire departments can't afford life insurance or retirement benefits. There are few income tax breaks for volunteers. After September 11, 2001 there were discussions of offering a tax credit for volunteer firefighters and EMS workers, but to the best of my knowledge this incentive has not been put in place.

A decrease in the number of volunteers affects the ability of people to access emergency services. This decrease is the result of increased training requirements, less available time to volunteer as a result of employment and family needs, and a lack of incentives for unpaid service.