The United States of America has a rich history in firefighting. From 1736, with Benjamin Franklin's first fire company, to today, the vibrant world of advanced firefighting techniques has overcome some of its greatest challenges. The firefighters left us in a better place than yesterday and make us feel more confident about tomorrow. The history of the fire brigade is a history of war; war against a hated but revered enemy, war against the sleepless nights, the endless hours and the seemingly endless struggle for safety. No matter what we do, there will always be someone's property on fire or a car accident to respond to. While many slept in bed at night, the tones of a call rang through the volunteer fire department's radios. Responding at a moment's notice in the middle of the night, men and women rush to their cars and head to the department. A few minutes after the call the garage doors open and the cry of the siren pierces the night. The lights, visible from miles away, illuminate the night sky and from inside the cabin the firefighters make decisions for the quickest possible route. Rural areas of Oklahoma depend on local volunteer firefighters as their first line of defense. Volunteer departments are called to all types of emergencies including fires, medical events, terrorist events, natural disasters, water rescue, hazardous materials incidents, messy space emergencies and any number of possibilities. Volunteer firefighters have dedicated countless hours of training to better prepare for possible emergencies. The number of emergency calls has increased dramatically over the years. It's a sad truth that some argue that volunteer firefighters should be eliminated... mid-paper... first line of defense against any type of crisis. Many times people say it's about money, but how much are you willing to pay for security? In reality, volunteer departments are more effective than funding a full-time paid department. While it is rare for firefighters to abuse the system or become arsonists themselves, we need to look at the big picture and realize that this is only a very small percentage, and don't all professions have people who abuse the system? Without adequate preventative planning, i.e. volunteer fire departments, fire districts would become increasingly dangerous. Response times would increase dramatically, creating a more serious problem, money would be misallocated, and fire districts would become danger zones. We should realize the dangers of such rational decisions and take responsible actions in pursuit of public safety.