(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By rdnewsNOW staff

paid-on-call

Lacombe County needs about two dozen firefighters

Nov 4, 2020 | 3:42 PM

Lacombe County is conducting a County-wide recruitment campaign for paid-on-call firefighters to serve in departments throughout the county.

“Departments within Lacombe County recruit throughout the year, as needed,” explained Lacombe County Fire Chief Drayton Bussiere. “We are looking for some new faces to join our dedicated fire teams who provide this crucial first response service for our communities.”

Lacombe County Fire Services consists of jointly managed fire departments and is recruiting firefighters in Alix, Bentley, Clive, and Eckville. There are approximately 100 firefighters in these fire departments.

“Ideally, we would like that number to be around 125 members,” Bussiere says.

“There is no doubt that our departments have seen an increase in calls over the years, and like many departments across the province, it’s hard to find volunteers in rural communities who can help when called,” he said. Bussiere added that many of them work in larger centres, which means they aren’t available for calls during the day.

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While often called volunteer firefighters, Bussiere wants to highlight that these individuals are paid-on-call firefighters.

“We expect our firefighters to take time out of their personal schedules, both for training and when attending calls, and we will reimburse them for their commitment,” he explained. “As the first step in recruitment, I encourage anyone interested to contact me to discuss the level of commitment and expectations of paid-on-call firefighters.”

Some of the basic requirements for volunteer firefighters are to be 18 years of age or older, have a valid class 5 driver’s license, be physically fit and live in the response area.

For a full list of the requirements and responsibilities, visit the Lacombe County website. You can also call Bussiere at 403-782-8959 to learn more.