Town of Caledon welcomes 16 new volunteer firefighters

By Zachary Roman

There are now 16 more people in Caledon who are trained and ready to answer the call in people's time of need.

On Tuesday, June 28, the Town of Caledon's Fire and Emergency Services Department held a graduation ceremony at Station 302 in Bolton to welcome 16 new volunteer firefighters into its ranks. The firefighters all had to undergo extensive training in order to earn their place on the team.

Caledon's Deputy Fire Chief of Community Safety, Samantha Hoffman, said at the graduation ceremony for the new recruits that everyone was very impressed with them. 

“Our training branch worked really hard to pull this together and the connection between the training officers and the firefighters was really, really visible,” said Hoffman.

She explained the recruits have dedicated every Tuesday evening and every Saturday since January to training. “Considering they all have jobs, full-time jobs that they're doing, it's pretty impressive,” said Hoffman.

As part of their training, the new recruits all participated in the Coldest Night of the Year charity fundraiser event. They were told they had to raise $50 each and walk the event in their bunker gear (the personal protective equipment firefighters wear).

“They raised $14,000,” said Hoffman. “They were the group in Caledon that raised the most amount of money. Even while they're in recruit training, they're already giving back to their community.”

Caledon's Fire Chief Dave Forfar said the Caledon Fire and Emergency Services team is very proud of the new graduates and excited to work with them.

“These new recruits have worked hard during their training program to not only complete the mandatory 250 hours of training, but to also earn their National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 certification,” said Forfar.

Tuesday's graduating class of volunteer firefighters consisted of people from all kinds of backgrounds, including fire service families, the military, professional and junior sports, paramedicine, the automotive industry, business, and forestry. Two women and 14 men make up the new recruits.

Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson offered his words of thanks and encouragement to the new recruits, who have been assigned to teams at eight different fire stations across the Town of Caledon.

“It's an exciting time for these new recruits, and I'm happy to welcome them to the Town of Caledon and the Fire and Emergency Services team,” said Thompson. “The value of dedicated, well-trained first responders has never been more apparent than it has been during the pandemic. Under Chief Forfar and the deputy chiefs, these new team members will thrive, while working to protect our residents.”

The Town of Caledon's Fire and Emergency Services Department is looking to start training its next round of firefighter recruits in September.