Hantsport squad has recipe for recruitment

BY CHRISTY MARSTERS

With communities throughout the province struggling to find volunteers, it’s no wonder numerous other fire departments are calling on the Hantsport Volunteer Fire Department for recruitment advice.

Departments from Canning, Lunenburg, Bridgewater and Brooklyn have all expressed interest in an open house recruitment drive for potential firefighters after one was held in Hantsport Jan. 10.

At that time, the department had less than 30 members. However, the recruitment event resulted in 13 new volunteers and all have nearly completed the necessary training to be classified as level-1 firefighters, Hantsport Fire Chief Paul Maynard said.

“I think if we did things the old way, we would’ve lost a few people,” he said.

The traditional way of inducting members into the fire department was to present a pager and allow those attracted to the experience to be introduced to duties at the scene. It was a jump-in-with-both-feet approach.

Four-night orientation

This year’s open house was unique because the event aimed to inform possible volunteers of expected duties within the fire department and allowed those interested in the area to sign up for a four-night orientation to test the waters before committing the fire service.

“The orientation really influenced decisions to volunteer with the Hantsport Fire Department in a positive way,” says new recruit Karrie Balsor. “I think the open house recruitment drive was the best thing ever.”

It presented a nice idea of the different aspects involved, said Alanna Maynard, another new recruit. “It’s also nice to know other members understand that we’re still learning.”

It was sometimes challenging when first starting out because there were new elements to learn, but there was never any pressure, said recruit Larry Hall. “All the officers were really there for question, instruction and support.”

The recent group is ambitious and wants to learn, Maynard said. “I have a huge admiration for all volunteers and especially those in the fire department.”

Being a volunteer firefighter requires dedication, ambition, teamwork and training, but those who attended the open house recruitment drive really learned there’s a job for everybody, Maynard said. “Our recruitment was so successful, we’ll continue to do it every year.”