Just how much does the average citizen know about their community fire department? We frequently see fire trucks and ambulances at the scenes of accidents and fires, but who are these first responders? Well, the ones wearing white helmets are chiefs and deputy chiefs, and the blue helmets are worn by medical staff, readily distinguishable from the regular black helmets.
Now, check your calendars to see how many hours you dedicate to volunteer work, and compare that tally to what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter.
As soon as volunteers are signed on, they commit to 300 hours of training in first aid, CPR, hazardous materials training, and Firefighter Level I. This is over and above their regular jobs. Niverville Fire Chief Keith Bueckert says that as of September 20, his 25 volunteer firefighters and five paramedics have completed 2,500 hours of training and attending events where their presence is requested by the community. These hours do not include the time spent responding to the 156 calls received since January, 50 of which were fire calls. That’s equal to the total number of calls for all of 2015, so incidents are on the rise. Chief Bueckert and Deputy Chiefs Stan Hiebert and Brad Wasilinshuk are charged with ensuring those responses are safe, efficient, and thorough.
Niverville’s fire department is rich in talent and expertise. Eight of the 25 volunteers are career firefighters and the five medical emergency first responders include Primary Care Paramedics (PCPs) and Advanced Care Paramedics (ACPs), one of whom is an instructor at Red River College. There are three training officers, including Spencer Hunt, whose grandfather served the department in earlier years.
The average career span of a volunteer firefighter is five to seven years, so diversity is crucial to the maintenance of a responsive department. Different age levels are needed, as well as people who work full-time and part-time jobs, not to mention shift workers.
Of the Niverville department’s $165,000 budget, $35,000 is dedicated to the cost of training, which is ongoing every second Tuesday of the month. The cost of outfitting one firefighter with turnout gear—including boots, helmet, radio, and flashlight—is about $5,500, and that equipment must be renewed every ten years. At the biweekly meetings, training and drills are conducted for car fires, grass fires, structure fires, vehicle extrication, etc.
“This outstanding department is the culmination of many years of dedication by many people,” Bueckert emphasizes. “It is a privileged responsibility to ensure this proud tradition is maintained. We have tremendous support from the mayor, council, and the community.”
It all began in 1958 with Fire Chief John Enns, Assistant Chief David Stoesz, and six volunteers. The fire truck was a 1949 Dodge, purchased and rebuilt by Stoesz. According to Barb Friesen’s article in Niverville: A History (1878–1986), the brigade consisted of 15 members by 1986. Ten fire phones were installed in ten members’ homes and rang all at once when “4700” was dialled to report a fire, and all members were enrolled in a new provincial training program. In 1980, a Mutual Aid System was coordinated which consisted of nine fire departments that committed to help each other. Today’s Mutual Aid District includes many municipalities, but the St.-Pierre-Jolys, Landmark, St. Adolphe, and Île-des-Chênes fire departments are the most likely to be called first.
Today, all 30 volunteers have a pager that allows them to send an “I am responding” message to the incident commander so decisions can be made about whether or not to summon help from other departments. The new fire hydrants along Main Street Niverville will be a huge boost on many levels, requiring less shuttling of water.
The present fire hall at 309 Bronstone Drive is the third hall in the history of the department and barely holds the two red fire pumpers (500-gallon capacity), the yellow water tanker (1,000 gallons) and the first responder vehicle. The department’s ten self-contained breathing apparatuses are scheduled for a costly upgrade this year.
As Niverville expands, a modern facility to accommodate the growing need will likely have to be considered by town council.
The department conducts extensive community outreach each year. For Fire Safety Week (October 9–15), members of the department will visit the schools, address the seniors at a special luncheon, and visit daycares. Routine fire inspections are performed for businesses and multi-family buildings.
“We have great fun at kids camps at the park,” says Bueckert, “participating in water fights and talking to them about safety.”
Each district has a Burn Fund Safety Trailer to use as an educational tool at events such as the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair. Also, volunteer firefighters sell the majority of tickets sold for the Firefighters Burn Fund.
Every year on November 11, Niverville’s fire department hosts a free perogy dinner at the Golden Friendship Centre, where attendees have the opportunity to place donations in a firefighter’s boot. The proceeds are used to purchase equipment. For example, three such annual fundraisers paid for the air tank filler that now makes it unnecessary for Niverville firefighters to drive to LaBroquerie to refill air tanks.
The Niverville fire department has a distinguished lifetime honorary member, Gary Macdonald, who recently received the Mary Beth Dolin Award to commemorate his excellent leadership and dedication. Macdonald was a career firefighter with the St. James Fire Department and has worked for many years with the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner. He has served as a safety officer, a training officer, a counsellor, and is still active in Critical Incident Stress Management, which is offered within 48 hours of a traumatic event. Macdonald was one of two founders of the Manitoba Firefighters Burn Fund. Despite the fact that he now lives in St. Norbert, he attends every biweekly meeting.
“This current group of volunteers is the finest group yet that I have had the privilege to work with,” Macdonald says.
On Tuesday, October 11, you can stop by the Niverville Fire Department Open House from 5:30–8:00 p.m. The New Bothwell Fire Department is also hosting an open house, on October 7 from 5:30–8:00 p.m. at the Bothwell Christian Fellowship Church.
