HINSDALE, M.A. -- The Hinsdale fire department is made up of mostly volunteer first responders, but recently, the chief has noticed a downward trend in his numbers.

"As far as actual firefighters, we're still down like everyone else is," said Hinsdale Fire Chief Larry Turner.

He says the number of people willing to donate their time as volunteer firefighters is dwindling and the economy may be to blame.

"The economy is not good now you may need to work more hours at your primary job or you may have to go out and try and find some other work to do to bolster your income to come in," said Turner.

Fred Balawender is the EMS Captain in Cheshire. He says although the town has enough firefighters right now, the number of volunteer EMT's is way down. He agrees the economy could be the culprit.

"When we respond to these calls, we do it with our own gas, we do it with our own time and, somehow or another, we really need a little bit of help," said Balawender.

According to one firefighter, being a first responder isn't what it used to be. He said if you don't want to run into a burning building, for example, you don't have to because there are a lot of other ways you can help. But the problem is finding enough people who have enough time to volunteer.

"And it's really hard sometimes because the only reward you get out of this is sometimes a 'thank you' from the people that you help," said Balawender.

That means even with gas prices falling, it could take more than the promise of a simple 'thank you' to spark some help.