Every 23 seconds a firefighter answers a distress call in the United States, but what you probably didn’t know is that three-quarters of all firefighters are volunteers. 

They are regular people with day jobs and families taking time out of their lives to protect the community and sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice.

On CBS Sunday Morning, Peter pays tribute to the men and woman who risk their lives to serve their communities as volunteer firefighters.

Watch it on CBSNews.com here or check out the segment below.

Learn more about the lives of volunteer firefighters on our accompanying article on CBSNews.com.

Related Links on PeterGreenberg.com:

• Celebrating Our Brave Volunteer Firefighters
• How To Help Haiti: Volunteer Opportunities & Global Relief Efforts
• Tips On Taking A Volunteer Vacation
• Travel Tip: Exotic Volunteer Opportunities In The USA
• Vetting Volunteer Vacations: Well-Meaning Vs. Well-Organized & How To Tell The Difference
• Volunteer Vacations section