When the call went out, they answered.

Shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, April 17, the siren began to sound, calling local firefighters to action: a building was on fire in John Day’s downtown business district.

Within minutes, volunteers with the John Day Fire Department were on the scene to battle the blaze in the 100 block of East Main Street, which was sending a large plume of noxious smoke into the air. Soon they were joined by crews from other nearby fire departments — Canyon City, Mt. Vernon, Prairie City — all volunteers. Hours later, as the local crews were mopping up, additional support arrived from still farther afield as the Redmond, Bend and Sunriver fire departments also sent crews.

Ultimately, three storefronts — belonging to DP Home Entertainment, 1188 Destinations and Fire & Ice Cream — were completely gutted by the flames.

Fortunately, no one was injured, and damage to the remaining businesses on the block was limited.

It could have been so much worse. All the buildings on the block are connected and could have been consumed by flames, destroying the heart of John Day’s commercial district, if not for the dedication, courage and diligence of Grant County’s volunteer firefighters, our first and last line of defense.

Some of the onlookers who gathered behind the yellow police tape to watch the conflagration asked why there weren’t more firefighters battling the blaze and why they didn’t get there sooner.

These are important questions that need to be asked. We should continually evaluate the performance of our emergency services and look for ways that performance can be improved.

But in a community that relies on volunteers to defend against fire, it will always come down to this: Who is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to provide fire protection for themselves and their neighbors? Who is ready to step up and make that commitment? Who will answer the call the next time the siren begins to wail? Will you?

As we reported in February, Grant County’s all-volunteer fire departments are aging (John Day has at least two firefighters in their 70s) and all are struggling to attract enough volunteers to remain viable. If you are physically fit, prepared to devote long hours to training and can be available to respond when the siren sounds, perhaps you’ll consider becoming a volunteer firefighter yourself. If you’re interested, contact your local fire department — they’ll be glad to hear from you. And we’ll all be glad to see you when you show up to fight the next big fire.