HALIFAX – Halifax Regional Municipality is facing a critical shortfall in volunteer firefighters.
“The numbers are quite low,” said Executive Fire Officer Phil McNulty. “In order to safely fight a fire, we need more people than we currently have.”
McNulty says in an ideal world he would have 1,000 volunteer firefighters servicing the area but with numbers currently at 559 he’s being realistic.
“I would love to add another 200 volunteers to the service,” he said. “In particular our rural areas in the Eastern Shore. We’ve been recruiting constantly on the Eastern Shore and we have another recruit class that’s going to be beginning in the fall.”
A big reason for the lack of volunteers is the demographic shift to bigger cities, leaving small communities with older populations, McNulty said.
While there’s no easy solution to that, David Raymer — the volunteer fire chief for Harrietsfield-Sambro Fire Department — said there is a way to make volunteer firefighting more appealing.
“Create an environment where people get respect, create an environment where they enjoy what they’re doing, create an environment where they get rewarded in different ways and feel like they’re part of their community that’s something,” said Raymer. “Once it gets in your blood it doesn’t leave, trust me.”
For people who are wondering who can apply to be a volunteer firefighter McNulty and Raymer debunk some popular myths.
Age isn’t an issue.
“Ideally we’re looking for people who are fit, age is really just a number,” said McNulty. “We brought on recruits recently who are in their 50s.”
Another myth is that the time demands are too great to also balance a family and full-time work.
Raymer said he always tells his volunteers: family first, job second, firefighting third.
And, he said most employers are pretty accommodating towards volunteer firefighters who might be on call.
“I think employers really support volunteer firefighting,” Raymer said. “Lord knows it could be their building that we need to go to.”
After fighting fires as a volunteer for 13 years, Raymer said the personal rewards for being part of a community far outweigh any perceived drawbacks.
“There’s a reward working in the community you live in, people knock on your door and thank you very much,” he said.
“Last week, an 88 year old lady knocked on the door and thanked me very much for looking after her husband. So, you know there’s pride in what we do in our communities,” Raymer said.
Find out more about becoming a volunteer firefighter.
Comments