After last week’s announcement that the Gravenhurst Fire Station was looking for eight new members, the Bracebridge department is looking for six of their own.
Jared Cayley is the Deputy Fire Chief for the town and expected to get more applicants than available spots, but still urged anyone interested to throw their hat into the ring.
“Some of the best folks we have are the ones who said “I wasn’t going to apply because I thought I was too old,’ or ‘I thought I was too young,'” Cayley said. “You also hear them say ‘I didn’t think I could do that,’ or ‘I used to be scared of doing that.'”
“We have had people in who are afraid of heights and now they ask when the next training session on the aerial ladder is, which is 75 feet tall.”
Cayley said while previous emergency services experience is appreciated, it isn’t mandatory. He added they have hired multiple people with zero experience.
According to him, the department will provide the training and they are looking for someone with a team player mentality more than anything else.
“The fire department is definitely not a solo show,” Cayley said. “Every time we roll, we roll with four to six people on a truck, so you are part of a team. We train as a team, we work as a team and we play as a team.”
Daytime availability is also a big deal. Cayley said the department especially appreciates it when peoples employers understand the responsibility of being a volunteer firefighter. He suggested anyone thinking about applying to ask their boss if they can leave work when called upon during the day.
The deadline to apply is July 5th. Cayley said they will start looking at applications and setting up interviews after that. He said those chosen will begin training in September