Fire department looking for new recruits

The Barrhead Fire Department is looking for a few good men and women.

Actually, they are looking for a lot of them.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, the fire department hosted an information/recruitment session disguised as a barbecue in the parking lot of the Pembina West Co-op Gas Bar.

Barrhead Fire Chief John Whittaker said the fire department is in desperate need for new members.

Currently, the Barrhead Fire Department has 26 members. Whittaker would like to see that number almost doubled, to at least 40 members.

“Right now, during the day especially, we don’t have a lot of members showing up to calls in town. Quite frankly because they can’t,” he said, adding it’s not the fault of the members. “They work out of town, or their job doesn’t allow them to leave.”

Whittaker said the more members the department has, the more of a pool they have to draw upon when they do have to respond to a call, adding that Barrhead is not the only fire department with this issue.

“In Alberta, 75 per cent of all the firefighters are volunteers,” he said.

Whittaker said there’s has two main problems in recruiting new members.

The first one is the amount of time it takes to not only become a volunteer firefighter, but to stay proficient.

Whittaker said it takes about four months for a new recruit to complete their training and about two to three hours a week to stay current.

“We will do everything we can to fit the training around a persons schedule. They can come to us at anytime and we will make sure they are able to start their firefighter training,” he said, adding that the training is the same, as they would take to become a full-time city firefighter. “And they can do that all at no charge. The fire department pays for all the training.”

The other issue Whittaker said, is there’s a misconception from some of the public, that the fire department has used their budget foolishly.

“They say, why don’t you have certain pieces of equipment, like a ladder truck, when you are spending your money on other pieces of equipment like an ATV,” he said, adding that some people believe those items were paid for with taxpayers’ money.

“They weren’t. They were bought by our membership and given back to the taxpayers for free because that’s how much the department cares for the community,” Whittaker said.

The fire department members do this through their non-profit fundraising organization, The Grizzly Trail Association.

For those who may be interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter there are a few requirements. A person must be at least 18 years-old, and they must be able to pass a criminal records and vulnerable sectors check. A potential recruit must also have a clean drivers abstract.

“Although if you have one or two speeding tickets, that’s not a big deal,” Whittaker said.

Once a person has been accepted, there are number of different roles within the fire department for a new recruit. They range from an entry firefighter, to emergency medical responder, driver/operator, safety and fire prevention officer to helping educate the public.

“There is a lot of variety in jobs, but the first step is to let us know you’re interested. and we will do everything we can to ensure you are successful,” Whittaker said. “Because we need you.”

For more information about becoming a volunteer firefighter, stop by the fire hall (4635-61 Ave.) in person, phone 780-674-2087 or [email protected].