(file photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Junior Firefighters

Melfort newest community to start Junior Firefighter program

Jul 15, 2019 | 11:44 AM

The Melfort Fire Department is joining the club when it comes to having a junior firefighter program.

Fire Chief Jason Everitt said the idea came about during their last recruitment campaign when they received a few applications from people under 18.

“We took a long hard look at that,” Everitt told northeastNOW. “We thought what a great opportunity to introduce the fire service to young members of our community.”

Everitt said they scrambled a bit to get the program in place, but some connections around the province helped.

When it comes to what the Junior Firefighters will be doing with the department, Everitt said it’s very similar to their normal recruits.

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“For the first three months, they wont respond,” he said. “And that three months basically gives them the opportunity and time to focus on building the skill sets and acquiring the core knowledge that we would want them to have as a member of the fire service.”

The junior firefighter program is a 12-month program, and after the first three months, the participants will then be able to go out on calls. However, their roles will be much smaller and Everitt said they would never be in a position where they would be in harm’s way. He said they would be assisting the members from the periphery.

Everitt added they hope a program like this helps grow the department as a whole.

“We’re hoping once this is in place, it maybe encourages other young members to consider the fire service,” he said. “Essentially volunteering and helping their community out.”

He also said when it comes to numbers, they aren’t quite sure yet on how many they could have at one time, but there are some logistics that get in the way including a limited number of spare suits.

“We haven’t looked at a limitation on the numbers yet. We’ll see how this goes,” Everitt said. “But very much it’s a pilot project right now but we’re excited about it, and we think the community will see some tangible benefits of this program being in place.”

Other communities in the northeast with similar programs include Carrot River and Nipawin.

The new junior firefighters will be sworn in with the other new recruits on Thursday, July 18.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6