Three of the County’s four volunteer fire departments are actively searching for new recruits, with fire prevention officer, Mike French, saying some services have been stretched over a busy summer.
In a report to Algonquin Highlands council Aug. 13, French said he and colleagues in Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills have been inundated with calls related to downed hydro lines in recent months.
“It’s been keeping our volunteers busy,” French said.
He noted some fresh blood has come through the doors in the County’s northernmost township, with one new volunteer added in Oxtongue Lake and two going through the process to be onboarded in Dorset. That won’t bring the department to a full quota, but its a start, French said.
“Recruitment is a challenge that’s common across fire services throughout Ontario who rely on volunteers,” French said.
Numbers were also down in Minden Hills, with the fire chief there, Don Kruger, saying he has three volunteer vacancies he hopes to fill this fall. The Dysart et al department under Dan Chumbley also has room to grow, while Highlands East chief, Chris Baughman, has said he’ll always consider new applications.
Part of the problem, French said, is that volunteers are so well-trained here they can get hired to become full-time firefighters in other communities. He credited that to the program launched by former Algonquin Highlands chief Mike Cavanagh, who left for Peterborough in 2020.
“In the last six years, we’ve had eight firefighters graduate from our recruit training program and go on to become full-time. When that happens, we pretty much lose them. We can call on them when they’re here, but we don’t have the consistency,” French said.
“We’re highly respected throughout the province, which is nice to see as it provides good career opportunities for people… but it’s a hit when [the volunteers] leave,” he added.
French said anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should check in with their local department.
