For the last few weeks, county councils in the midlands have been seeking part-time fire fighters to service their communities, and are hoping to build up crews in various villages and towns in the area.
The fire services in the midlands have been experiencing difficulty in getting staff in certain areas, but a recent agreement which has increased pay should help.
Moate, Co Westmeath, Granard, Co Longford, and Clara and Kilcormack in Co Offaly are some of the areas where the service has been understaffed.
Part-time fire-fighters get an annual retainer of £3,678, rising to £4,614. While training they receive £8.85 per hour.
If called out to a fire, the fire-fighter is entitled to £17.70 for the first hour and £8.85 for each subsequent hour, if the fire happens during the day.
The hourly rate increases to £35.40 for the first hour of a night or weekend call-out, with a payment for each subsequent hour of £17.70.
These rates may not be enough to encourage young people to join, according to staff in the various councils who run the service.
The availability of other work has meant that the service is not as attractive as it might have been in years gone by and many people are now commuting to jobs, which would disqualify them from becoming local fire-fighters.
Fire officers said that in the past people did not have to work as hard - they now place more value on their leisure time and will not interfere with it in any way.
Self-employed people, who were the backbone of the volunteer service, stand to lose a great deal of money by taking part.
They all agreed that the decline in community spirit and the fact that the workload generated by road traffic accidents on the main roads running through the area, meant that call-outs are frequent, especially at the weekends.
Finally, the fact that the services of the local fire-fighters now have to be paid for, has meant that those requiring the service expect it to be professional and fast. And, of course, fire-fighters are open to being sued.