Wilmot Township’s Fire Department is looking for good men and women to join the ranks of its volunteer force.
There are many fire departments in Ontario currently having difficulties finding new volunteers to fill vacancies and some have reached crisis levels. Fire chief Rod Leeson explained while they are holding their own, he expects some attrition over the next few years.
“Some of our long-term senior people are going to be retiring or moving on. We are also experiencing difficulty recruiting in New Dundee. It’s a bedroom community and there is no employment there. It would be quite expensive for a younger person to move there due to the cost of housing.”
Leeson said young people are typically more interested in becoming volunteers but they just don’t exist in that part of the township. He added once someone does decide to join the ranks it becomes an incredibly rewarding experience.
“It’s the comradery, that sense of community and providing an essential service for the township you live in and love to be part of. It’s an incredibly unique experience. It isn’t like a typical service club, which is just as important, but it’s like that service club on steroids,” he added.
He explained that from a cost standpoint, a volunteer force represents an affordable model when compared with a full-time complement of firefighters. Wilmot Township Council sets the levels of service some budget time every year, but Leeson said if they can’t fully staff a station such as New Dundee, a decision would have to be made.
“We would have to what it would look like with full-time employees. The cost to taxpayers would be exponentially higher. The volunteer model is much more affordable and the goal is always to try and keep it intact for as long as you can.”
Leeson said while there are some standards candidates must meet, he is encouraging anyone interested to come out to one of the information sessions.
“We do have some fitness requirements, a fitness test, but it’s not arduous. It makes sure they have a minimal level of fitness. We have all walks of life. Young and older men and women. I had a firefighter who was with the department a bunch of years ago then came back in his early 50s.”
He said the biggest concern today is the level of commitment since the province requires mandatory certification for all volunteer firefighters, something paid for by the department. Leeson added there are seven women on the roster at the moment, and he welcomes more to apply.
“The women we have now are fantastic. We have some that have moved up into the rank of captain which is a first for Wilmot. They are great leaders and mentors. We encourage women to come to the open house and talk to our female firefighters. There is a provincial organization now that is geared toward women in the role so they have a voice in the industry. They are gaining momentum and we are supporting that.”
He added gaining experience as a volunteer provides experience for anyone thinking of making firefighting a full-time, paid career elsewhere and said people of any colour and creed are also welcome.
“We don’t have any boundaries. We want full ethnic diversity.”
Attending an accident scene as a first responder or encountering a fire with fatalities is not an easy situation for anyone, even seasoned emergency workers. Leeson wanted to make it very clear mental health support is a priority for his and every other department.
“We do work closely with our firefighters to ensure their mental wellbeing. We have three Resilient Mind instructors which provides them with the awareness they need to ensure they don’t become mentally unwell. Tools in the toolbox to watch out for each other and self-care. It is a proactive model to allow us to deal with the mental stress of the job before turning into something serious like PTSD.”
Resilient Minds is an evidence-informed, peer-to-peer, skill-building program designed by and for career and volunteer firefighters across Canada to develop strategies to mitigate and better manage occupational stress and enhance personal resilience, resulting in informed and healthier teams.
The Wilmot Fire Department is hosting three information nights for potential future firefighters to learn more about the department and to ask questions before submitting their applications:
Baden - Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Station 1, 99 Foundry St.
New Hamburg - Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Station 3, 121 Huron St.
New Dundee - Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Station 2, 55 Front St.
For more information, email fire@wilmot.ca, call 519-634-5660, ext. 534, or visit wilmot.ca/firefighterrecruitment.