Author: Judy Barlow, Citizen Journalist  

     What if you had a party and no one came? No biggie. Your feelings might be hurt. It wouldn’t kill you.  

     What if you had a fire and no one came? Perhaps you’d be less casual about that. Perhaps more than your feelings would be hurt. Perhaps…  

     The Fire Department is probably at the top of your speed dial when you need them. Where are they on the list when you’re programming your BlackBerry or iPhone with weekly commitments? 

     According to Deputy Fire Chief, Jim Tweedhope, of Sidney Fire Rescue, about 40 volunteer firefighters are necessary to guarantee full response to an alarm. The current roster stands at 27.  

     Do the math. They have six in training, but as Jim points out, “they won’t be ready for a year, and anything can happen in a year.”  

     It’s not like they haven’t tried to recruit volunteers. “I don’t know what the answer is,” says Jim, “but we try every opportunity we can to publicize ourselves.” There have been tables at the Sidney Sidewalk Sale and a recent job fair at the Shoal Centre, but it’s not an easy sell. Volunteers are asked to make a huge commitment; a full year of training and their lives on the line. 24/7. No pay.  

     It’s especially challenging to maintain a body of volunteers in Sidney. Look around; it’s spectacular. Look closer. It’s also home to a lot of Boomers. That ideal volunteer pool of physically fit men and women 19 – 45 years of age is very small. As Jim says, “We could probably get volunteers from other communities, but when you have a structure fire, time is of the essence. If we had to wait for them to come in from Central Saanich the building would have burned down before they got here.”  

     “What’s in it for me?” you ask. Excellent question. Excitement aside, safety standards demand the same certification and training that career firefighters get in Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, or Los Angeles. The NFPA 1001 Firefighter Certification Course at the Justice Institute costs about $8,000. Volunteers also end up with a Class 3 driver’s license with air brakes – another $2000 plus if you had to pay out of pocket. Volunteers meet people; make a lot of good contacts. And of course, according to Jim, “Just having someone come and thank you; that’s really what it’s all about.”    

     Fire departments cherry-pick firefighters who are already trained which saves those departments some time and money. Many career firefighters started as volunteers and moved to paid positions. “We don’t have a problem with losing people that way,” says Jim. “It’s a revolving door thing. As long as we’ve got people coming in the door there’s an equilibrium, but lately we’re losing more than we’re getting.”  

     So, what if they couldn’t get a full crew together? With members on a long weekend trip, enjoying the upcoming summer days and or perhaps going camping Jim says, “We would show up, but there might not be much we could do–maybe just defend the property and make sure it [the fire] didn’t spread. We haven’t had that happen yet, but it is a possibility… We’ve got to do something about it now. I mean, what if we had a house fire and we didn’t have enough guys to put it out?”   

     It used to be that every little boy and girl watching that shiny red fire truck race by — siren wailing, lights flashing, Sparky the fire dog right up there in the front seat, ears flying in the breeze –dreamed of becoming a firefighter. Has that universal dream gone up in smoke? For the sake of the good people of Sidney, let’s hope not.  

     What if you had a fire and no one came? Let’s not find out. Program your iPhone and BlackBerry and call or email to volunteer today 250 656-2121 or [email protected].