CARLSBORG — As fire and rescue call volumes rise, North Olympic Peninsula districts work to recruit and train new volunteers.
Thirty new volunteers began training in Clallam County last week for three agencies: Clallam County Fire Districts 2 and 3 and the Port Angeles Fire Department.
This is the largest recruit class that has ever been jointly taught among the three agencies, said District 3 Assistant Chief Dan Orr in a news release.
Who’s from where
Ten of the recruits are from Clallam Fire District 2, 18 from District 3 and 2 from Port Angeles, he said.
They are undergoing training at the Volunteer Recruit Academy, 255 Carlsborg Road, on Wednesday and Friday evenings and all day Saturdays through March 31.
Following their initial instruction, known as Firefighter 1, training will continue year-round, usually on a one-drill- or class-per-week basis.
A 110-hour emergency medical technician course is also available.
All the equipment they need, like turnout gear worn when responding to fires and other calls, is paid for by their districts.
Volunteers are also covered by liability and life insurance under the Washington State Volunteer Pension and Relief Act.
At Fire District 2, Chief Sam Phillips credits a federal grant for helping the Clallam agencies pursue an aggressive recruiting campaign.
The campaign has included many lawn signs, fliers in store windows, newspaper and broadcast advertising, and a billboard.
While Phillips is happy with the number of recruits, he said they will fill only 10 of the 20 open volunteer spots he has open.
With 40 volunteers and five full-time staffers covering an area of responsibility between Jefferson County and Deer Park, he finds District 2 leans heavily on the former.
“We couldn’t serve without [volunteers],” he said.
As an example, he related that on Thursday night, District 2 had a number of calls within a short period of time — two medical calls, one vehicle collision and one burning building — that were staffed mostly by volunteers.
District 2’s application process includes two interviews and a physical test to make sure applicants are mentally and physically prepared for the job’s challenges.
The fire district’s area of responsibility stretches across the foothills from Deer Park to Black Diamond and Dry Creek. Many in the volunteer force come from Little River and Deer Park.
Phillips said he would like to see more from the Black Diamond and Deer Park areas since it would put more volunteers closer to those areas.
Phillips was happy to note that the Clallam recruit class includes about 10 women.
For both men and women, the 13 weeks of training is a “huge commitment,” he said.
Difficult in Forks
Chief Bill Paul said his District 1 is not taking part in the Carlsborg academy because it is so far away.
The need to recruit is constant and ongoing, though.
District 1 has two recruits in training and two more expected to start in about a month.
With a captain in the ranks who is a certified trainer, the district is able to conduct its own, smaller academy, Paul said.
Recruits undergo training that meets all the standards of Firefighter 1.
Years ago, the District 1 stations in Beaver and Forks had large numbers of volunteers, said Paul. Today, Beaver is down to six volunteers, and Forks has between 20 and 22.
Leaving jobs
The biggest impact, he said, is during the day when only two or three volunteers can leave their jobs to respond to a structure fire or vehicle collision.
When volunteers are home in the evening, the situation improves, he said.
District 1 tries to keep its recruitment needs in front of the public with fliers and banners, said the chief. They have also recruited high school students.
“I don’t know what the fix is,” Paul said. “We’re trying.”
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue has a number of new recruits at a fire academy in Chimacum, said spokesman Bill Beezley.
Recruiting is always a challenge, he said.
Currently, East Jefferson has 20 regular volunteers and nine resident volunteers in training. The agency’s training classes start each June.
East Jefferson has two volunteer tracks — resident volunteer and regular volunteer.
He said resident volunteers work with paid staffers an average of 2.5 days a week, often as second jobs, and receive a stipend.
When East Jefferson has openings in the paid staff ranks, the agency often picks from its resident volunteers, he said.
The regular volunteers are just that — often retired paid firefighters who want to continue to give back to the community.
Most recruits, he said, are between 20 and 30 years old. About 50 percent have college degrees.
In the East Jefferson fire department, all new recruits must complete the Firefighter 1 training like their Clallam County colleagues. They are also encouraged to undergo training as emergency medical technicians.
It doesn’t take long for them to start responding to calls.
“We have a couple of guys still in training” who are helping out with peripheral duties at both fire and medical calls, Beezely said.
They lay hoses and help out with a variety of medical duties, receiving hands-on experience while they train.
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Assistant Managing Editor Mark Swanson can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5054, or mswanson@peninsuladailynews.com.