{"id":62301,"date":"2021-09-24T11:05:33","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T15:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=62301"},"modified":"2021-09-24T11:05:33","modified_gmt":"2021-09-24T15:05:33","slug":"fire-departments-seeking-recruits-in-pontiac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/fire-departments-seeking-recruits-in-pontiac\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire departments seeking recruits in Pontiac"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a labour shortage affecting numerous industries across the province, local volunteer fire departments are also feeling the pinch.<\/p>\n

Challenges to recruitment<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to MRC Pontiac\u2019s Fire and Public Safety Coordinator Julien Gagnon, there are a multitude of issues that hamper recruitment, from an aging population to employment in the area, to the length of training. He said that being unable to hold the usual fundraisers and community events due to COVID-19 certainly didn\u2019t help either.<\/p>\n\n

Gagnon added that the departments most affected by the shortage of workers were ones that were smaller, more rural, and had low employment numbers. Those available during the day on weekdays were generally the most sought after, since many volunteers work outside the region and are unavailable to respond to calls during this time period.<\/p>\n

Waltham Fire Chief Larry Perry agreed, saying that his most reliable firefighters during work hours on weekdays are the retirees or seasonal workers, since there aren\u2019t many job opportunities available within the municipality. Even so, he still has the option of calling in support from neighboring departments.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Clip-Larry-Perry-daytime-shifts.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Gagnon added that local chiefs have been looking at other ideas to pool resources and manpower during these critical times.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Clip-Julien-Gagnon-other-solutions.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Changes to training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shawville Clarendon Fire Chief Lee Laframboise said that a recent recruitment ad put out by the municipality on social media has given him a few leads, but he\u2019s always on the lookout for more hands. He pointed out that though the training course is lengthy (roughly 200 hours), they pay their recruits to take it. However, a recent change has meant that the online training that used to be offered to local departments is not longer available.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be that you could do it online, a lot of it,\u201d he said. \u201cNow there\u2019s no more online, the government didn\u2019t renew the program ... where you could do so much online, then so many [hands-on] practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perry said that they had been using the online course for the past 10 to 15 years, and they were currently finalizing an alternative solution for training. Between that change and COVID-19 initially hampering in-person training, it was difficult to keep recruitment rolling.<\/p>\n

Gagnon explained that most recruits start off in a probation period of around 6 months, where they go out on calls and help out where they can, but aren\u2019t allowed to enter what\u2019s called the \u201cred zone\u201d. As they complete the modules in their course, they can start taking on different tasks. He acknowledged that the initial training is a large undertaking for anyone, let alone someone who might have work or family commitments, and it usually lasts around a year, year and a half.<\/p>\n

Gagnon mentioned that there is currently a pilot project being tested elsewhere in Quebec where preliminary firefighter training is offered in high schools to students. He said that they were currently waiting on the results from this project to see if it would be viable in this region.<\/p>\n

Benefits of becoming a firefighter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perry pointed out that while it\u2019s not about the money, they prefer to call their members \u201cpart-time\u201d firefighters as opposed to \u201cvolunteer\u201d. He said that he does his best to highlight the positive elements of firefighting without sugar-coating the challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot depends on the optics,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re saying to someone who is interested, you have to put forth a positive image of what it means to be a volunteer firefighter, but we rarely use the term volunteer anymore, it\u2019s actually part-time. I think maintaining a positive image in the community ... of what it means to give your service, and make the sacrifices to get the training and skills and so on ... to give a positive image to that individual. I think that would help a lot, but you can never present a false image, it\u2019s also going to be the case of a lengthy initial training program before they can get involved in actual firefighting, and the pay is, well, minimal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Laframboise and Gagnon said that the most rewarding aspects of being a firefighter were the friendships and camaraderie within the department.<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Clip-Julien-Gagnon-benefits-of-firefighting.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Laframboise pointed out that with a possible wave of people leaving urban environments because of the pandemic, it\u2019s a great way to quickly get to know the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019d just moved here to get out of the city, and just joined the fire department, it\u2019s a pretty tight group you know,\u201d he said. \u201cAll of a sudden you have a group of friends, you have a social live and you\u2019re involved in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that with advances in training and equipment, they occasionally have the ability to save people\u2019s lives or their property from severe damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re able to do that, for the firemen it\u2019s very rewarding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Those looking to inquire about joining their local department should contact their municipality or call the fire hall directly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a labour shortage affecting numerous industries across the province, local volunteer fire departments are also feeling the pinch. Challenges to recruitment According to MRC Pontiac\u2019s Fire and Public Safety Coordinator Julien Gagnon, there are a multitude of issues that hamper recruitment, from an aging population to employment in the area, to the length of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":62302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[57,221],"tags":[9647,2655,9648],"radio":[239],"origine":[274,258,260],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62301"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62301"},{"taxonomy":"radio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/radio?post=62301"},{"taxonomy":"origine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/origine?post=62301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}