The Coombs-Hilliers Volunteer Fire Department (CHVFD) is looking for volunteer firefighters to join their team.
The department, in a press release, indicated that volunteer firefighting is a challenging but rewarding opportunity for residents of all backgrounds to work together to provide fire and emergency response support to the community.
Volunteers receive regular training and an on-call commitment that is flexible enough that even those with a full-time career can be part of the volunteer firefighting team.
“The CHVFD responds to upwards of 300 calls a year, and we rely on volunteer firefighters to ensure the community receives the help they need when they need it most,” said fire Chief Ron Schildroth. “I encourage area residents who are interested in learning more about the commitment and the rewards of volunteering to contact us. Some may be surprised to discover that they can achieve their goal of being a volunteer firefighter while still fulfilling the needs of their personal and professional lives.”
Together with the fire chief, volunteer firefighters make a difference in their community and are an essential part of the response services team. On any given day, volunteer firefighters can find themselves fighting fires, responding to motor vehicle incidents, attending medical emergencies or assisting other community fire departments and emergency response agencies through both mutual and automatic aid agreements.
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In return for their service, volunteer firefighters receive:
• Professional firefighter certification and regular training to maintain certification
• A fulfilling opportunity to make a positive contribution to their community
• Training for transferable life skills such as teamwork and leadership
• Benefits including paid on-call time, WorkSafe BC coverage, accidental death and disability insurance, Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP), and volunteer firefighter income tax credit issued when a minimum of 200 volunteer hours has been reached
Area residents who are interested in learning more can visit the RDN website at rdn.bc.ca/coombs-hilliers-fire, speak with firefighters in person at the CHVFD recruitment booth at the Annual Coombs Family Day Celebration event on Monday, Feb. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Coombs Fairgrounds, drop by the CHVFD hall at 3241 Alberni Hwy or reach out to the fire department at 250-752-2144. Deadline to submit a volunteer firefighter application is April 30, 2023.
— NEWS Staff, submitted
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