BARRHEAD - If the Goose Lake Fire Department cannot find some more volunteer firefighters, Woodlands County may have to devise a new plan to provide fire coverage for the hamlet.
That is according to protective services manager Scott Webb, who alerted Woodlands Councillors to the fire deparmtnet’s recruiting woes at their May 25.
Webb told councillors at their May 25 meeting.
In the fall of 2020, he said that the county did a recruiting blitz to bolster volunteer firefighter numbers in all its departments in Anselmo, Blue Ridge, Fort Assiniboine and especially targeting Goose Lake.
"The campaign did generate interest, but with limited face-to-face training that we were able to proceed with, it negatively impacted the attendance of these potential new volunteers," Webb said.
He added that recent changes in employment status for many of their existing firefighter volunteers also reduced the pool of firefighters the county could count on for a response.
Due to their low numbers, the Goose Lake Fire Department embarked on another recruitment campaign in January 2022, but again with limited to no success.
"We've put ads out, put up signs, it has been put on (the county's website) multiple times, we've done everything we could think of, and we haven't received much interest," Webb said.
He added that one of the biggest deterrents is the time commitment for training, not only for training but responses.
"We are not the only county that is in this position. All the other departments in the province are struggling as well," Webb said. "Even the cities like Edmonton and St. Albert are looking for firefighters. It is a struggle to get (and retain) people."
Webb suggested in the short-term to keep operations status quo, but if the department isn't able to recruit additional members by the end of August, they will have to look into developing a new coverage plan for the hamlet.
Blue Ridge Coun. Bruce Prestidge asked how many active members the department had.
"Two," Webb said.
According to the Woodlands County website, the Goose Lake Fire Department ideally consists of 12 firefighters, including a chief and deputy chief.
Goose Lake/Freeman River Coun. Peter Kuelken said the writing has been on the wall for some time.
"My question is do we have to reexamine how we look at rural fire departments to make them more effective and create an environment that helps in recruitment?" he asked. "We need to really reexamine what we are doing because some of these problems that exist there, in my opinion, are not rural, but the way they are structured."
Whitecourt Central Coun. Alan Deane asked how they dealt with the firefighter shortage in Goose Lake presently.
"Every time Goose Lake is called out, so is Fort Assiniboine," Webb said. "And depending on the location, Blue Ridge is usually called too because we need to action more people."
Reeve John Burrows was hopeful that the upcoming Whitecourt and District Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair in Whitecourt on May 27 - 29 could go a long way to potentially solving the problem.
"We have a lot of exposure and a lot of abled-bodied coming by," he said.
Webb agreed, noting the county has an information brochure ready and will be actively looking for potential future firefighters at the event.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
