Barrhead fire chief deems junior firefighter program a success

BARRHEAD - When Barrhead Regional Fire Services chief Gary Hove resurrected the department's junior firefighter program, he had reservations.

However, he told County of Barrhead councillors during their Sept. 3 meeting that the program, open to youth from 16 to 18, has been a resounding success.

The fire chief was at council to give them the department's quarterly update for April, May, and June.

"It was a great experience for everyone involved," Hove said.

Unfortunately, he added, the department recently lost four of the six youths enroled in the program as they are temporarily leaving the community for university.

"The good news is, they've all said when they return, they want to be part of the department again and respond," Hove said.

He said he would soon lose another junior firefighter as her family is relocating to Westlock, adding she hopes to join the ranks of their fire department.

However, the Westlock Fire Department's gain may only be temporary, as the young recruit told Hove that she hopes to find a job in Barrhead and return to the BRFS.

He added that although many fire departments are having difficulty attracting volunteers, the BRFS has been fortunate that its membership has been steady, ranging between 30 and 40 for some time.

Hove said one never knows where the next recruit will come from, noting that the next addition to the BRFS junior firefighter program will likely come from a Barrhead Composite High School field trip to the fire hall.

He said they recently hosted a group of students at the fire hall, and one expressed interest in potentially becoming a firefighter.

"During that time, we had a [medical assistance call], and I invited the student to come along to see what we do and now she plans to join the fire service," Hove said.

BRFS 2024 second quarter statistics

In the second three months of 2024, the BRFS responded to 149 calls, 88 in the town and 61 in the county. This does not include mutual aid calls or motor vehicle collision responses on Alberta Transportation highways funded by the province.

Once again, medical assistant responses lead the way at 82, with the majority coming from within the town's borders at 65 compared to 17 in the county.

Hove noted that firefighters commonly respond to more medical calls in the town due to its older demographics.

The next highest category was alarm investigations, at 30, with 16 calls from the county compared to 14 in town.

Next was grass and wildland fires, at 25, with the majority of responses in the county, at 21 compared to four in the town. Fire (structure and vehicle) was next, at four, with three coming from the county. The BRFS also responded to six miscellaneous category calls, one of them coming from the high school.

"It was for a formaldehyde leak," Hove said. "A student brought in a bottle that leaked in his locker. We helped air out the school and clean up."

Training

The BRFS successfully placed another group of firefighters through the nationally recognized National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 course, which firefighters must complete to be considered professional firefighters.

Hove said that as part of their training, they controlled the burn of an old house in the county.

"It was the perfect structure for us to do our evaluations, especially the way the home was laid out with small bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, a large dining area and a sunken living room, which gave us a bit of variety," he said.

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com