The call to serve our communities is what built this country. We should honor those who do
Andrew Ryan Cross, a 27-year-old volunteer firefighter from Morrill, Maine, tragically lost his life while responding to a fire. His dedication to community service and volunteer firefighting highlights the critical role these individuals play in rural areas. The article emphasizes the growing shortage of volunteer firefighters across the country, which poses significant risks to public safety.
- ▪Andrew Ryan Cross was a volunteer firefighter who died in a fire incident in Searsmont, Maine.
- ▪Over 90% of Maine's fire departments are staffed primarily by volunteers, reflecting a national trend of declining volunteer firefighter numbers.
- ▪The National Fire Protection Association reports a 25% decrease in volunteer fire service members since 2008, despite increasing call volumes.
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BUCKSTOWN, Pennsylvania — On Saturday morning, Andrew Ryan Cross, a 27-year-old volunteer firefighter in the tiny town of Morrill, Maine, received an honorable transfer, as he made his final call from the Augusta medical examiner’s office to a funeral home in Belfast. The fire that took Cross’s life was reported to the State Fire Marshall at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont just after 10 a.m. on Friday morning. Crews working to put out the fire in a silo heard a loud explosion, according to WMTW News 8 in Portland, Maine. Cross was found dead at the scene.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Washington Examiner.
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