I don't know how they do it in Florida, but here in Oklahoma most rural fire companies are indeed volunteer companies. They get a small amount of money from the state and the rest they have to raise themselves. During the fires last summer one of the companies said they had to choose between buying fuel and buying water for the firefighters to drink. Of course their trucks are all used ones from bigger fire companies or the military, so maintenance is a problem.
They can and do call on the National Guard to provide air support. One of the normal sights on TV news covering fires are the Guard helicopters dropping water on the fires.
All things considered the fire companies do a wonderful job in fighting all the fires, but they are working under a lot of constraints. Not enough money, not enough people, and having to fight fires in highly inaccessible places. If you get fire going in wooded hill country just getting to it can be a major task. If Florida you don't have hills, but you do have swamps which are just about as bad. Heck, just being in the country can be enough of a problem. If the fire is on back roads 15 or 20 miles from the station it can take a long time to get there.
Bill Gill
