KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With more rain and the risk of flooding in the forecast, the Knox County Rescue Squad's swift water gear is hitched up and ready to go.
"Flooding is always a concern with the astronomical amount of rain that we have had," Chief Russ Frazier said.
But the organization has concerns of its own, too.
Its staff is 90 percent volunteer and its $500,000 budget isn't completely funded by the county.
"It's an ongoing event and struggle to have the funding necessary to provide these services," Deputy Chief John Whited said.
The squad is having a tough time recruiting new volunteers too.
"We struggle," Whited said. "Volunteerism is tough right now all across the country not just in Knoxville."
Without money from organizations like the United Way and individual donations, Frazier said they wouldn't be able to keep the lights on.
"Just a set of gear to protect a volunteer is somewhere around 13, 14 hundred dollars," Whited said. "You can't put a price on a life but in this line of work actually you can."
Air tanks can run more than a thousand bucks and emergency equipment like the jaws of life is getting old and needs replacing.
"We have to make sure that we're meeting all the standards and that we're providing equipment to all the volunteers and to the staff and be able to provide it safely. That cost has gone up tremendously in just the last 10 years," Whited said.
The squad needs a new headquarters too. Its current building has cracks in the walls.