Fire departments across the state hosted open houses this weekend in hopes of finding new firefighters.

It's all part of the 9th annual RecruitNY event.

New York state has nearly 100,000 volunteer firefighters but many are retiring more quickly than they can be replaced. The recruitment and training process takes about a year, so many firehouses across the Capital Region invited people to stop in and apply on Saturday.

"If you have time, if you have a desire, even if you think you just might wanna do it, try it," said Boght Community Fire Department Asst. Chief Jake Oreshan. "We have jobs for everybody. We have administrative positions, we have exterior positions, we have fire police, we'll even take people who just want to drive the fire trucks.

Spectrum News reporter Erika Leigh took part in the interactive open house at Boght firehouse. She tried on full turnout gear, including an airtank, and participated in a simulated rescue.