Volunteer fire departments are searching for more recruits and having a hard time finding them. (Facebook/Lakeland and District Fire Dept.)

By Rob Mahon

Volunteer Firefighter Shortage

Local fire departments searching for volunteers

Jun 29, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Summer heat, dry conditions, and plenty of highway travel can make for a busy time of year for volunteer fire departments. The problem is, many of those departments are having a hard time attracting members.

Volunteer fire departments in the north-central area have had some recruitment difficulties, mirroring those in towns across the country. This includes the town of Rosthern, sitting about halfway between Prince Albert and Saskatoon with a population of just under 1,700.

“Rosthern has become quite a commuting town, so a lot of people are working out of town,” said Darcy Hrycuik. “You don’t have the same contact with them, they’re not available all the time.”

According to Hrycuik, the department has 14 or 15 volunteers at any given time, but the actual availability of them is harder to pin down. He’d like to see that number climb, ideally to at least 20 to 22 members.

“We’re actively trying to recruit,” Hrycuik said. “It’s tough. We have good people on the department but they can be out of town when you get a call. They’re available, but not as readily as someone who’s in the community. It can make it tough to recruit.”

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Those challenges apply in other communities near Prince Albert as well. The Town of Shellbrook and their population of just over 1,400, rely on a volunteer fire department even smaller than that of Rosthern.

“It always is a challenge,” said Darwin Baptist, Shellbrook Fire Chief. “We’ve got a core group of guys that are pretty good. Hopefully, you get some new people that move to town or some of the young guys decide to stay. It isn’t for everybody.”

In Shellbrook, the numbers situation is similar. According to Baptist, they’ve had 32 calls so far this year, but only six or seven members form the core of the group. They’ve got as many as 12 available to them, but Baptist would like to see that number grow to 15 and have more consistency.

“You’re lucky enough to work with a good group of people who are willing to show you and help you,” he said. “None of our guys are ever asked to do something they can’t do.”

Baptist added that being along a major highway, his department gets called out to a lot of crashes, and has had to work with STARS Air Ambulance in the past.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP

by Rob Mahon

Local fire departments searching for volunteers

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