Jennifer Maxwell studied to be a police officer, but even as she was working through the course, she never stopped thinking about firefighting.
So when she moved with her family from Burlington to Port Ryerse two years ago and saw a posting by the Norfolk County Fire Department for new volunteer recruits, she jumped at the chance to get hands-on experience in a field she hopes will become a career.
“I was considering going to fire school,” said 27-year-old Maxwell. “When I saw that Norfolk was looking for people, I thought it would be a way to get certified and get on a truck and go on calls. I could be ‘on nozzle’ and get that experience.”
Twenty months into it, Maxwell has been out to many medical and alarm calls, which make up most of dispatches, and to numerous structure fires.
“House fires are the most intense calls,” she said. “You have family members who are really grateful you’re there and you want to try and preserve what they have.”
Maxwell was among 42 volunteer firefighters who recently completed Level 1 and 2 certification that “ensures our firefighters are trained to the same high standards as career firefighters,” said James Robertson, Norfolk’s assistant fire chief.
The testing covers the use of protective equipment, operation of breathing apparatus, ladder work, auto-extraction techniques, and fire-extinguishing procedures.
For Norfolk County, which is a full-service department called out for interior firefighting, auto extraction and hazardous material-handling situations, certification of firefighters is required within 36 months of them taking on the job.
All of this important, and potentially dangerous, work is done by a current roster of 254 volunteer firefighters at 11 stations spanning the sweeping county. Most have full-time jobs and try to come out to as many calls as possible, whether in the middle of their workday or the middle of the night.
“Many departments across Ontario, especially in rural and small communities, rely heavily on volunteers,” said Robertson. “While larger urban centres typically have career firefighters, volunteers are crucial in areas where full-time staffing would be economically or logistically challenging.”
There are just over 30,700 firefighters in Ontario, about 18,300 of whom are volunteers.
Maxwell balances her full-time job as residential and commercial cleaner with her firefighting duties at Vittoria Station. Although she doesn’t collect a paycheque for the fire work, she said it offers lots of other rewards.
“I think most people in Norfolk are in it because they have a passion for the community,” she said. “I really like helping people and doing that is a really great feeling. Even if I don’t go into career firefighting, I’m happy volunteering. The people are great. It feels like a family.”
Although firefighting continues to be an overwhelmingly male-dominated occupation, Maxwell is one of a three women on the Vittoria station team.
“I was a little intimidated at first,” she said, “but the men have been so supportive. It really stepped up my confidence to be able to keep up with the boys.”
Robertson said recruiting new volunteers can be challenging, particularly in rural areas. The department is currently looking for 16 recruits across Simcoe, Waterford, Langton, Fairground, Port Rowan and Vittoria.
Although no formal qualifications are required initially, Robertson said valuable skills include the ability to deal effectively with the public and to work and make decisions independently.
Robertson said the volunteer job has lots of perks — learning skills in firefighting, rescue and medical care; gaining experience in leadership and teamwork; opening doors to future careers in emergency services; building community connections; and providing physical activity; and building camaraderie with team members.
“Many find personal satisfaction in helping others and making a positive impact.”