When the trucks pull out on a call, finding firefighters to be on those trucks is getting more difficult.

Georgia is having a tough time finding firefighters, getting tougher for fire departments to fill positions.

Ike McConnell of the Georgia Fire Academy says the candidates just are not there.

“Fifteen or 20 years ago when you would have hundreds of applications for just 20 or 30 positions,” he said. “Now it is hard to get enough applications sometimes to fill the number of positions you have.”

Along with many retirements, the job does have its challenges. It can be dangerous and mentally challenging.

McConnell said fewer young people want to go into public safety. In fact, the latest figures show only 23 percent of firefighters are under the age of 30.