SALT LAKE CITY — While larger metropolitan areas in Utah have money dedicated to pay for full-time firefighters, fire officials say two-thirds of all fire agencies in the state are staffed with volunteers who will never be repaid for their service. But, volunteers say they're happy to make the sacrifice.

While firefighters from Sandy were called out to help knock back the 10-alarm Rose Crest Fire in Herriman, someone had to be called in to keep watch over the city of Sandy. That's where volunteers like Chris Paulsen come in.

"We actually have a little pager that they will send out an alert to the volunteers saying that they need to have guys come in and help," Paulsen said.

Chris has been a volunteer with Sandy Fire for a little over a year and he hopes to be hired on as a full-time firefighter one day. He's helped handle things like a five-car crash on 9000 South, and he help revive someone overdosing on heroin inside the Wal-Mart store.

"The guy was pretty much dead," he said. I ended up being the airway guy. I had to pump oxygen into him."

As a volunteer firefighter, he has to make sacrifices. When most people are celebrating the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day, Chris is on stand-by.

"There are times when I've wanted to be with the family, but, then I look at it as a sacrifice for a greater end," he said.

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His wife, Brenda, grew up in a firefighting family. She remembers feeling nervous when her dad had to go out on a call.

"But, also, I felt a sense of pride, like, firefighters are heroes out rescuing people," Brenda said. "So, I always have been really proud."

While Brenda may make jokes about how many hours her husband is gone, she admits, the kind of schedule Chris has to carry may be hard for other couples to deal with.

"It has its challenges, but, I'm able to realize it's for a better cause," she said.

Chris' boss has to make adjustments, too. To make ends meet, Chris works full time with Layton Roofing in Riverton. But, President Ray Paul Greenwood doesn't mind employing firefighters one bit.

"We just have to be aware of their schedules and their timed things, and we'll make the necessary adjustments," Greenwood said.

To become a volunteer, most agencies adopt the certification requirements set by the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy. The minimum standards require 120 hours of training.

"It's six to eight weeks of full training time that people are putting into this to become a volunteer firefighter, or, even a full-time firefighter," said Tim Norris, a firefighting training officer in Sandy.

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Plus, most go through regular training nights twice a month. Volunteers in Sandy are in a different position than other volunteer firefighters in other parts of the state. When Sandy makes a new hire, they take candidates from their volunteer pool. Norris says most volunteers, all across the Beehive State, risk their lives and leave their families with no intention of ever getting paid.

"Anybody who is part of this type of service has a unique sense of duty and honor," Norris said.

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