Wanted: A few good men and women as volunteer firefighters

By Dixon Bledsoe

Mt. Angel Fire District is looking for a few good men and women to be volunteer firefighters. Applicants who are able to respond to emergency situations in the daytime are especially needed.

Carol Ruef, fire district office administrator for the past five years, says the current level of volunteers is not necessarily low, but since the majority of volunteers work, their availability is usually at night.

“We’re hurting a bit with the daytime shift and it is getting harder and harder to recruit. We have 35 volunteers now and would like to get to 40 but there is no magic number as long as we get better coverage during the day shift.” she said. “It is expensive to train new volunteers and it is a lot of work. The Department of Public Safety and Standards Training is a rigid course that we put new recruits through in our in-house fire academy, and from the time a firefighter candidate commits, it takes about a year until he or she gets to switch from a ‘blue hat,’ for ‘no entry,’ to fighting fires.” The next recruit academy starts in April.

Don Fleck is Mt. Angel District fire chief and Ryan Kleinschmit is the captain and head of recruiting. Fleck and Ruef are the only staff who receive compensation, so volunteers are a vital and integral part of the district’s fire and rescue service.

Mt. Angel volunteer firefighters/EMTs must be at least 18, possess a valid Oregon driver’s license, be an insured driver, live or work within the boundaries of the fire district (35 square miles), and successfully complete the Mt. Angel Fire District recruit training program.

The district offers the community fire response, emergency medical services, rescue response, wildland firefighting, fire safety inspections, fire extinguisher training, safety education and community events.

“We are also looking for people who might not wish to be firefighters but would like to help out with the Emergency Medical Services side of the department,” Kleinschmit said. “If anyone has questions or reservations about becoming a volunteer, they are welcome to come to see us on any drill night (Wednesday) or call the department and we would be happy to answer their questions.”

Volunteer applications may be picked up at the fire District station behind U.S. Bank.

The Silverton Fire District started a new class of trainee firefighters in January, and conducts its academy once yearly.