Monte Creek area residents who are interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter are being told to attend an open house at the Pritchard Fire Hall this Saturday, July 23.

Facilitated by the TNRD, Fire Protection Services Manager, Jason Tomlin, says the open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is designed to give people a general understanding of what goes into becoming a firefighter.

“It is suited a lot of different people, a lot of people that probably think they wouldn’t be a good firefighter, so my recommendation is to come out and see what it is all about,” he said. ”

Prospective firefighters have to be at least 18 years of age. They must also have a valid driver’s licence, and be able to physically able to perform tasks and duties of the job and be able to commit to at least two hours of training a week. They will also need to undergo a criminal record check, and live and/or work in the fire response area.

“If you think it is something you want to pursue, we’ll have lots of the information there and lots of other firefighters that you can ask questions,” Tomlin said.

“Volunteer firefighters train to professional standards, and are paid per call for their response, training and practices. They’re also provided with all required personal protective equipment with no out-of-pocket costs.”

They will also get insurance coverage through WorkSafeBC, 24-hour accident insurance coverage, and $100,000 life insurance policy. Firefighters will also be eligible for federal tax credits if they serve at least 200 hours a year, either responding to fires or at training or practice.

The open house comes after Monte Creek, Del Oro and Lafarge residents voted in favour of establishing and funding a new fire department back in May.

Construction on the new Monte Creek fire hall – which will benefit 356 properties in Electoral Area “L” (Grasslands) and Electoral Area “P” (Rivers and the Peaks) – is expected to begin next year.

“The next steps is to build a bid of a roster and start training but that is going to take some time to get people up to speed before they can be active on the fire grounds,” Tomlin said.

“Of course, its ongoing training so [the open house] is just a focus on that basic level of training and then we move forward.”

You’ll find more about the plan for fire protection service in the Monte Creek area here.