TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The Twin Falls Fire Department is grappling with lower application numbers as emergency calls continue to rise and wildfire season intensifies.

The department responds to approximately 6,500 emergencies annually, both fire and medical, according to Fire Chief Mitchell Brooks. Despite the growing demand, applications for firefighter positions have dropped significantly.

"Applications for open positions used to come in by the hundreds, but now the department is only seeing a third of that number," said Colton Baratti, who applied when there were 70 applicants compared to hundreds in previous years.

The Twin Falls Fire Department employs 47 full-time and one part-time firefighter, but relies entirely on career staff rather than volunteers, unlike smaller stations acro

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