ST. PAUL – Coinciding with Fire Prevention Week is also the St. Paul Fire Department’s annual recruitment campaign.
Lieutenant Danny Green, a member with the St. Paul Fire Department, says being a volunteer firefighter is a great opportunity for those wanting to help the community.
For Green, there is a sense of pride in being a firefighter, but it is a desire to help others that made him enter the profession. It is a sentiment shared by his fellow firefighters.
“A lot of people, that’s what all they care about, right? To help everybody. And that’s a big thing here [at the fire department], we help out everywhere.” Along with firefighting, members also have other jobs, such as assisting ambulance services, says Green.
Many people want to contribute to their community.
“And for a lot of these members, guys and girls, [becoming firefighters] is their way of doing it,” says Green, adding that often, even in the middle of the night, firefighters do not mind being called to action.
When they come back to the fire hall, “They get that rewarding feeling that they helped somebody.”
The St. Paul Fire Department is accepting applications for new firefighters until late November, according to Deputy Fire Chief Henry Thomson. Interviews will take place in December, and successful candidates can begin training the first week of January.
“The [fire department] provides all the training and equipment needed,” says Thomson. “All the candidates need to provide is a positive attitude, a good work ethic, and a desire to help out their fellow neighbours in their time of need.”
For application forms and other inquiries, interested individuals can reach Thomson or Chief Trevor Kotowich at the firehall during business hours at 780-645-4100.
They can also stop by the firehall at 5101-50 Street.
Recruitment challenges
There has been a steady decline of volunteer firefighters across the country for the last decade, while the demand for fire services increases.
According to information from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC), there were around 100,000 volunteer firefighters in 2022, which was a decrease from 126,000 in 2016.
In 2023, CAFC data estimated there were around 88,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada.
The St. Paul Fire Department itself has seen a decrease in the number of interested applicants in the last couple of years, according to Thomson.
“And [the department] has been running a membership roster that is below our set number.”
Thomson adds, “So far, this has not affected our response effectiveness, but we definitely do need to be diligent in working on recruiting, training, and retaining numbers.”
