THE
SIMILKAMEEN SIZZLE
Review
www.keremeosreview.com PM Agreement #40012521
Vol.17
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage
Number 36
Thursday, September 3, 2015
3 weeks & Counting! $1.15 including GST
Serving the communities of Keremeos, Cawston, Okanagan Falls and Kaleden
Fire department putting 911 call out for members Tara Bowie Review Staff
A loss of interest has left the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department putting out a fire of a different kind. Over the last several years, membership has eroded and numbers are now to the point the department is scrambling at times to get a truck out. “It’s just the way of North America volunteer departments,” fire chief Jordy Bosscha said. “Everyone is screaming for volunteers and qualified members are hard to come by.” Currently there are 23 members on the force, three of which are high school students – two are on leave. A full contingent would be 34 members including four high school students. “Without having enough members it definitely delays our response times. We always make it to calls but we have been later a few times than I would like,” he said. The volunteer force has been under pressure this spring/summer with some large call outs including the Riverbed Bistro Fire, which is still under investigation by police, and the recent grass fire on Lower Similkameen Indian Band Land that left one man homeless. Crews were at the grass fire for more than 12 hours. “It really wears us out. We don’t have extra people to rely on or call in,” he said. In addition to fire calls, volunteer fire departments attend motor vehicle incidents, medical calls and other agency assists regularly. Bosscha said the pool of eligible fire fighters to draw on in the area is quite small when you consider they need to be able bodied, physically fit, able to take direction and spend a lot of time in the valley. “They don’t necessarily need to work here but they do need to
be home quite often to be effective,” he said. Jake MacDonald owner of Keremeos Home Hardware employs two firefighters at his store and says he would never hesitate to employ a firefighter. “I haven’t known too many firefighters that weren’t people of good character,” he said. MacDonald said the two firefighters on staff are respectful while working and only ask to leave if it’s a heavy call. “It’s no problem for them to go whenever they need to. And if any of our customers get upset with it honestly I don’t want them to be our customers. It could be their house that’s burning down or it could be their loved one in a car. They aren’t just leaving to drink Kool-Aid at the fire hall. They’re leaving to potentially save someone’s life or their home,” he said. MacDonald was a firefighter himself about 15 years ago. He served on the Keremeos fire department for about five years. At this point with responsibilities at the store he can’t commit to being part of the department. He was surprised to find out that Keremeos was hurting for volunteers. “When I was younger there was a waiting list to volunteer on the department. We weren’t making big bucks doing it and neither are the guys that do it now,” he said. “People do this because they want to give to their community.” What you should know if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter: A physical ability test and medical exam are mandatory. Training is approximately two hours a week on Tuesdays with specialized training available on weekends and throughout the year. Firefighters are paid a rate for time training and call-outs. The department has spots for four high school students.
File photo
Firefighters worked to extinguish a massive fire at the Red Bridge Pub, cold beer and wine store and restaurant in July 2014. Firefighters unfortunately couldn’t put out the fire before it completely destroyed the structure but their efforts ensured public safety and that the fire did not spread to the local grocery store.
File photos
Firefighters on the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department learn a variety of skills while giving back to the community.