Recruitment fills firefighter jobs vacated by attrition
“It’s a mix of people who see what first responders do and think it’s an exciting way to help out their community and some who are looking to gain experience to get hired as career firefighters with bigger departments,” said Davison.
Every year, five to 10 Clearview firefighters get hired as career firefighters in larger centres, he says. The good news is that many of them continue to live in Clearview and remain on the force. Davison says roughly one quarter of the hundred or so paid on-call staff in Clearview are career firefighters with other departments who continue to help out where they live.
The CFES annual recruitment drive is on now, with Oct. 30 the deadline for applications. Davison says in a typical year they will get 50-60 applications. During the month of November, that number will be whittled down through interviews and physical fitness testing.
In December, job offers will go out to 15-20 applicants who will begin rigorous training in January. Between mid-January and the end of May, recruits will devote lots of evenings and weekends to a 200-hour training program to achieve Mandatory Firefighter Certification. Davison is hopeful that 10-15 of those recruits will survive the training process. He says the township invests a lot of time and money in recruiting and training with the hope that most of them will stay with the department for at least five years.
As part of the hiring process, Davison says the department considers a variety of factors.
“We look at proximity to the fire hall, past employment history, skills and availability,” he said.
Given the 24/7 nature of the job, they try to find a balance between shift workers and those with 9-to-5 jobs to ensure that the community is always protected. While the length of time someone has lived here is not necessarily a factor, Davison says people with roots tend to have greater commitment to the community.
CFES responds to approximately 100 fires in total each year, including 20-30 structure fires, plus grass fires and vehicle fires. The remaining calls are vehicle accidents, off-road rescue and medical emergencies where they respond alongside ambulances. Medical calls represent about 50 per cent of the total volume so it is essential that firefighters have Level A medical training.
Davison joined the Grand Valley Department as a paid on-call firefighter in 2007. Following a stint as fire chief for Mulmur-Melancthon he joined the Clearview department in 2021, and was officially promoted to chief this past May.
Recruiting firefighters has become more of a challenge for the Mulmur Melancthon Fire Department. Chief Mathew Waterfield says, “The change in family dynamics in rural areas has forced departments to focus on social and print media to get the message out. When I started in 2004 you almost had to know someone to get in the door. Now we need to reach out and tell the community we need members.”
Clearview firefighters going door-to-door during Alarms for Life Campaign
From Nov. 1-15 Clearview Fire and Emergency Services will be going door-to-door to speak to residents about smoke and cabin monoxide detectors during the annual Alarms for Life Campaign.
Uniformed firefighters will be going door-to-door in certain areas, hoping to visit 250-300 homes, offering voluntary inspections of in-home alarm systems.
Most fatal fires occur at night when people are asleep. By law, every home in Ontario must have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas.
For more information about fire safety visit www. ontario.ca/page/fire-safety-home.
This article has been corrected to say Clearview Fire and Emergency Services responds to approximately 100 fires in total each year, including 20-30 structure fires, plus grass fires and vehicle fires. The Creemore Echo apologizes for the error.
