Tillsonburg’s volunteer firefighters are ready to respond

Firefighters receive clarification and instructions from lead trainers as they respond to the given scenario on training night. (Robin Krafft).

Robin Krafft, Post Contributor

Demonstrating courage and an unwavering dedication to their community, our volunteer firefighters are always ready to respond to emergency situations.

Tillsonburg Fire and Rescue Services is comprised of a full-time fire chief, an assistant chief of communications, a full-time fire prevention officer and 33 on-call volunteer firefighters, including two platoon chiefs. Tillsonburg Fire Communications Division consists of six full-time communicators (dispatchers) and two supervisors, as well as three part-time staff. The fire dispatch operations cover numerous municipalities, taking 911 calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They coordinate responses with 61 stations, including our immediate area, but extending as far as Gravenhurst and Fort Erie.

“Dispatch is the vital link,” Platoon Chief Tony Hietkamp said. “They give us the first information and continue to send out updates and more information en route. It’s an incredibly coordinated response.”

Tillsonburg volunteer firefighters respond to about 400 calls per year. They deal with a variety of incidents and life-threatening situations such as fires, multi-vehicle accidents, and carbon monoxide emergencies, as well as water, ice and high angle rescues.

"They need to be prepared for all of these scenarios," Fire Chief Scott Tegler said, "and in the right headspace; calm, and understanding that they're dealing with our citizens."

Tegler spent over 30 years with the Woodstock Fire Department. His first day as deputy chief in 2001 was what is now known as 9/11. Emergency management and an emphasis on preparedness went into further development after that. Public safety is number one, whether that involves being able to mobilize and accept numerous planes that need to land, or responding to severe storms and damaged infrastructure. Fire Prevention Officer Geoff Hayman reminds residents that Emergency Preparedness Week is held annually to encourage citizens to focus on taking action in order to be prepared to protect their homes, families and communities during an emergency. (getprepared.gc.ca)

Firefighting is intensive, demanding and challenging work, and most of our volunteer firefighters have full-time jobs in other fields. Candidates must commit to pre-firefighter training, including seven to 10 weekends of initial training. Once complete, they write a certification exam, holding them to the same standard as a professional, full-time firefighter. This standardized training provides the knowledge and capacity to do every aspect of the job.

Hietkamp, with his 36 years of firefighting, described the mentoring process: “We share our experience and knowledge and that gets passed on to the next level.”

During training and on calls, it’s a team effort.

“There’s always safety in numbers,” he said, “you follow your partner everywhere. Group crews stay together the whole time they’re on the fire ground and the senior officer knows where everybody is at all times.”

Volunteer firefighters also commit to regularly scheduled, ongoing training sessions to maintain and upgrade their skills, as well as performing vehicle and equipment maintenance. Hietkamp explained how some training facilities offer live burn cells, providing an opportunity to “practice in a controlled environment everything you need to do to fight fires effectively and safely.” Heat and smoke are generated by using bales of straw and wood pallets for an experience of what responding to a real fire is like.

Volunteer firefighters in Tillsonburg are on call 24/7 and they are paid an honorarium, based on 200 hours of service per year. They also volunteer for fundraising activities and for planning events that maintain a strong community presence. They appear in parades, hold demonstrations, and offer fire prevention education.

Hietkamp encourages everyone to attend the open house.

“It’s their fire department, it belongs to the community and the tax payers.” For the firefighters, the firehouse is like a second home, and many come in to do additional work, developing safe operation guidelines, planning for training or conducting research.

Platoon Chief Larry Staley, with decades of expertise as a firetruck mechanic and 42 years of firefighting experience, remembers when there was an air raid siren that called firefighters to duty, and “your home phone would ring even if you were on it.”

He added, “It’s like a service club for us, that’s how we treat it. We’re here to give back to the community.”

Tegler acknowledged that it's getting more challenging to find people. Potential candidates have to have the time, ability, and the willingness to make that commitment to the community, at a time when so many people are already juggling a work-life balance.

"The reality is that as the community grows, the number of incidents will also increase," Tegler pointed out, which puts a bigger strain on the pool of firefighters. Four firefighters are required on the truck during calls, and with some volunteer firefighters working out of town or on day shifts, there can often be a void during the day. Town council currently funds 80 hours per week of paid duty for firefighters to enable an appropriate response capacity during the day. A bank of staff from the volunteer group fills those hours, so that two paid duty firefighters are in house and available for calls while performing other duties.

Mayor Deb Gilvesy commented, "Town council and the Town of Tillsonburg is blessed in so many ways by having a very dedicated team putting the safety of all citizens first. The team of volunteers to full and part-time employees are very committed to saving lives, protecting our community and surrounding communities through mutual aid agreements. Tillsonburg Fire and Rescue Services stand ready for every moment and every call and I could not be prouder of this amazing team."