VIDEO: If you call for fire services in one of 35 counties in Georgia, specially trained prison inmates may be the first to respond. Amid a historic shortage of firefighters, Georgia counties are increasingly turning to state prisons for manpower. The latest data from the National Fire Protection Association reports the lowest number of volunteer firefighters nationwide since 1991. About a fourth of all Georgia counties are now sourcing help from state prison inmates participating in the Georgia Department of Corrections' Firefighter Program. The program was established in 1963 to train incarcerated people to be firefighters while they serve their time in prison. Once they are certified, the inmates can respond to fires within the community -- outside the prison fence.