CANORA - As is the case with many rural fire departments, Canora and District Fire Rescue is on the lookout for new recruits.
Currently there are 16 firefighters in the department, and they are looking to add five to seven new members. There are opportunities for student placements as well.
Fire chief Jess Harper said he and the other fire fighters “enjoy working together as a team for the betterment of our community.”
The application process to become a new firefighter is fairly straightforward, according to Harper and his fellow firefighters.
“The applicant needs to get an application from the town office here in Canora. Once they fill the application out and return it to the town office, the application will then be given to the fire chief for review along with the other officers. If approved by the officers, the application is given to the board for final approval and the applicant is informed if successful.
“It is mandatory that the applicant have a doctor’s physical done if their application is successful as well as getting a criminal record check. These are paid for by the town and are not an expense for the successful applicant.”
Being a successful applicant is only the beginning of the process, as extensive training is provided. In-house training takes place twice a month. On occasion, the department has an instructor come in and do training at the Canora Fire Hall. There is also a bi-annual fire training school put on by the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighter Association in both the spring and fall.
Harper said new recruits are not expected to commit to the department for a minimum number of years, “however we do expect members to be a committed member of our team.”
Trainees are given the opportunity to attend all calls, which includes: grass fires, structures fires (mostly houses, shops and barns), vehicle fires, motor vehicle accidents, missing persons, carbon monoxide detectors, and smoke detectors. The smoke detector alarms are sometimes false alarms due to dead batteries or electrical shorts, but on other occasions it can end up being an actual fire.
Trainees are kept on traffic duty with a partner for traffic accidents, and are not allowed to fight on the frontline during fires until they are adequately trained.
Even for experienced firefighters, training never ends, according to Harper and the other Canora firefighters.
“We are never ‘fully trained,’ there is always a need for continuing education to keep our skills and knowledge up.”
For anyone looking for more information about joining Canora and District Fire Rescue, they are encouraged to reach out directly to a member or send a message through the department’s Facebook page.
