Rocky Hill Volunteer Fire Department gains needed board members

ROCKY HILL, Ky. – There had been concern in the Rocky Hill Volunteer Fire District that there wouldn’t be enough interest in filling the seats of three departing board members.

A full board is required for each of the volunteer fire departments to operate, but that worry brought out the community for Monday night’s meeting with six nominations.

Edmonson County judge-executive Scott Lindsey counted the votes, and Rocky Hill has its new board.

Chief Tim Compton with the Rocky Hill Volunteer Fire Department says every volunteer fire department is always short of firefighters. While Rocky Hill has about 15 right now, he’d love to see 22 to 25.

Recruitment, though, has been difficult.

“The younger generation is just not into it like people once was,” Compton says. “That’s a big problem. And Rocky Hill here, we do have an older generation around here. That hurts us.”

Volunteer firefighters receive no compensation for their work. They are called out seven days a week, 24 hours a day to not only fight fires but for medical emergencies and sometimes just to help out their neighbors with this vital work.