Mark Lauer was 12 years old when he helped his father pack fire pumps on a Parker City fire truck.

By 14, Lauer was an official firefighter.

Today, he’s the chief of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Company in Center Township.

“I’m just following in my father’s footsteps,” Lauer said about his choice of volunteerism.

His father, Jerry Lauer Sr., still is a volunteer firefighter in Petrolia.

The younger Lauer joined the Unionville department in 1989, the same year he became a paramedic.

Lauer, 41, also became one of the department’s divers who conduct water rescues.

“It was just another facet that intrigued me,” he said.

While admitting he gets an adrenaline rush during emergency dives, Lauer’s main focus is helping people.

He is always glad when his firefighters are able to save people from a burning building.

“That’s a proud moment for me,” Lauer said.

While lives are often saved, there also are rescues that go bad.

The department lost two divers in 2001 at McConnells Mill State Park.

“The unfortunate side is seeing your friends hurt and killed,” Lauer said about volunteering with emergency services.

Adjustments were made to ensure a repeat of the 2001 accidental deaths doesn’t occur again.

“We’ve become stronger,” Lauer said about his department.

The department has 40 members, with more than half putting in a significant amount of time.

Among the crew, there are 14 divers. Some are cross-trained to be swift water technicians who man the rescue boats working with the divers.

The dive team provides a unique service to the Butler County area and beyond.

“The furthest we were deployed was the Delaware River,” Lauer said. “We were gone three days.”

The dive team was formed in the late 1960s specifically to handle emergencies at Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park.

Frank Matis, director of Butler County emergency services, credits the Unionville department for providing the invaluable dive rescue service.

“We’re pretty fortunate,” he said.

Meanwhile, Matis praises Lauer for his dedication.

“He’s been volunteering over 20 years,” Matis said.

Lauer estimates he volunteers an average of 15 hours a week.

It’s not easy balancing his volunteer duties with a family.

Lauer’s wife, Karen, and daughter, Ashley, deal with the impact of his time constraints on their daily lives.

But sometimes, family has to come first. On Ashley’s 17th birthday, Lauer did not respond to a call so he could stay with his family.

Lauer has an understanding employer, Center Township, accommodating his departures responding to emergency calls. He is the township’s director of public services.

Even when on vacation, Lauer never seems to be far from the action.While on a trip to Barbados a few years ago, Lauer helped a couple who got into trouble while swimming. The man was stranded on jagged rocks as the woman was drowning. Lauer saved her.“You never know when you’ll use your training,” he said.Despite numerous hours spent diving, Lauer doesn’t get tired of going into the water. He can periodically be found scuba diving in such places as Mexico and the Caribbean.He became fire chief in 2000.As chief, Lauer is always looking for volunteers who are physically fit, educated and willing to work.He’s not interested in people who can’t hold down a job.“It’s all about work,” Lauer said about firefighting.Several of his crew are state police troopers.Matis, who is a former chief of the South Butler Volunteer Fire Department, agreed that good prospects to be firefighters typically aren’t those who are unemployed or have had several jobs in the last few months.When Matis was fire chief about 20 years ago, he sought volunteers who were dependable.“We always looked for somebody who was level-headed,” he said.Matis said the best volunteers aren’t strictly thrill-seekers, but people wanting to give something back to the community.And those who volunteer don’t have to be firefighters. Matis said volunteer fire departments also need people to help operate them and to do fundraising.Matis stressed the importance of bringing in new members to fire departments to maintain numbers.“There’s a lot of the older generation who are looking to retire,” he said.But Matis said there are fewer people willing to volunteer their time than in years past.“There’s not nearly enough of an influx as there was 20 years ago,” he said.Matis believes one way to retain or help draw in new emergency service volunteers would be for local governments to create a small pension, such as $100 monthly.

Lauer, president of the Butler County Fire Chiefs Association, is one of more than 700 firefighters serving with 36 volunteer departments in the county.The average number of firefighters per department is about 20. Some have about half that number while the Cranberry Volunteer Fire Department tops the list with about 50.Volunteering for a fire department means spending about 12 to 20 hours a month training.Before becoming a firefighter, a volunteer must complete 188 hours of initial training for state certification.“The old days when you learn as you go are gone,” Lauer said.After being certified, a firefighter has up to two years worth of further training before being allowed to enter a burning building. Rookies are always paired with veterans.Some firefighters give up even more time to be part of the county’s HazMat crew, which is comprised of nearly 30 volunteers.Matis said they are typically firefighters who receive additional training to handle hazardous materials.“They have to have some background in emergency services,” he said about what constitutes a qualified HazMat volunteer.These volunteers train at least once a month, adding to the hours already spent with their respective fire departments.HazMat volunteers also must have the appropriate safety certification, which requires the completion of a 32-hour course.“It’s pretty significant,” Matis said about HazMat training.