You can鈥檛 always put a price on volunteerism, but in Sooke, some residents could become painfully aware of that price if a shortage of volunteer firefighters can鈥檛 be remedied.
People who live in Saseenos and North Sooke could see their home-insurance premiums grow by $1,400 a year if the Sooke Fire Department can鈥檛 find more volunteer firefighters for its No. 2 fire station. According to the Fire Underwriters Survey, which assesses risks for the insurance industry, those who live in the area covered by the station are considered 鈥渦nprotected.鈥�
The survey says a minimum of four volunteer firefighters are needed at any time of the day or night; the station has only one or two volunteers available during the day.
From the time of bucket brigades to modern fire trucks, fire protection has been a collective effort for smaller communities. The alarm sounds and volunteers respond, hauling hoses and spraying water on fires, everyone working together for the common good.
It probably never was quite that simple, but it鈥檚 even less simple now. It doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean the spirit of volunteerism is declining, it鈥檚 that being a volunteer firefighter has become much more difficult.
Sooke Fire Chief Steve Sorensen said it was easier when Sooke was a resource-based community, with local people working in logging, lumber mills and fishing. Volunteer firefighters lived and worked in the community, and could drop what they were doing to answer the alarm. And there was no shortage of volunteers.
Not so now. Most people commute elsewhere to work.
鈥淪ooke has become a bedroom community, like many others around here,鈥� said Sorensen. 鈥淭here are not a lot of job prospects, other than in the service industry. It鈥檚 always a struggle to find people.鈥�
He said the few people who work in Sooke can鈥檛 participate because their employers are reluctant to let them go.
鈥淭hat person might be the only employee, or the employer might not be able to afford to have the employee say, 鈥業鈥檒l be back in a couple of hours,鈥� 鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 not just a matter of signing up, either. Volunteer firefighters need to be trained to a minimum standard, and must maintain their training. It involves a huge time commitment not many can afford.
Firefighters are busier. The chief said when he joined as a volunteer 30 years ago, the Sooke department had about 100 emergency calls a year. Now it鈥檚 more than 700.
It鈥檚 no longer just about fighting fires. Firefighters are trained to deal with medical emergencies, hazardous-materials situations, extracting people from cars and rescue operations. An SUV driver rescued from the raging waters of a flooding creek near Nanaimo last weekend owes his well-being, if not his life, to volunteers from two nearby fire departments.
鈥淎 trained volunteer is no different than a career firefighter,鈥� said Sorensen. 鈥淲e have guys who, if there was an opening in Victoria, could walk right in.
鈥淥ur volunteers are so well trained, we鈥檝e become a farm team for career departments. Our turnover is high.鈥�
The situation in Sooke isn鈥檛 unique. According to the Fire Underwriters Survey, dozens of communities in sa国际传媒 do not have enough firefighters to mitigate risk for the insurers.
Hiring career firefighters isn鈥檛 the answer 鈥� the municipality has four career firefighters plus the chief, and doesn鈥檛 have the budget for more. So it鈥檚 find more volunteers or pay higher insurance premiums.
It鈥檚 a difficult situation, but it鈥檚 one the community itself must wrestle with. There鈥檚 little point in seeking help from a senior government 鈥� fire protection is a local responsibility. Let鈥檚 hope local people can find a way to step up to help.
