9 Investigates: NC firefighters rushing in without enough help

Story highlights:

Twenty-five fire department agencies across North Carolina were cited for not meeting state requirements in the last two years.
Union County had more fire departments on probation than any other local county. Of Union County's 11 fire departments, three were put on probation at some point in the past two years.

Some local fire departments are on probation after being cited by the state of North Carolina for failing to respond to emergency calls.

That means that the crews either didn't respond at all or didn't have enough firefighters on the truck.

When firefighters get a call for help, the state requires that at least four firefighters respond.

Anchor Blair Miller investigated local fire departments and found that that's not always happening.

Miller obtained a list from the North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal, which shows agencies that were cited for not meeting certain state requirements. In some cases, the agencies did not properly respond to calls.

RESOURCES: Fire Department Failure Report

Twenty-five local agencies across North Carolina were cited in the last two years. Of those agencies, five were placed on probation.

Greg Grayson of the Fire Marshal's Office said that in many cases, probation status is a result of fire departments not responding with four required firefighters.

"If a citizen has a fire department serving them, there's an expectation that when they have a problem or they have an emergency, that they will receive a service," Grayson said.

PRESS PLAY: Greg Grayson explains why a fire department could be placed on probation--

In Union County, the Beaver Lane volunteer agency and the Wingate volunteer fire department have been on probation since May 2014, according to state officials.

Officials from both agencies said they were cited for non-response because they didn't have enough firefighters on the truck when they responded to fire alarm calls.

The South Fork volunteer fire department in Lincoln County was just taken off probation.

Chief John Dancoff was not in charge of the department when it was put on probation, but he admitted that the reason was serious.

"There were a couple of fire alarms that we didn't respond to with the required personnel. We responded, but we didn't have the required four-person minimum," Dancoff said.

The department has since made changes, including adding more part-time paid staff members.

The Fire Marshal's Office list shows that Union County had more fire departments on probation than any other local county.

Of Union County's 11 fire departments, three were put on probation at some point in the past two years.

Union County Commission Chair Richard Helms said he's working with volunteer fire departments to make sure they're ready to respond.

A new government task force is suggesting changes, which include giving the volunteer fire departments more money to pay firefighters to ensure that they respond.

"We've got to be financially responsible as well to ensure we have the right number of volunteers and the right number of paid staff to respond to the needs of our community," Helms said.

Almost every agency on the list is a volunteer fire department. Many fire chiefs said the violations are caused by a resource shortage.

Read more 9 Investigates: