Town seeking new volunteer firefighters:

Application period opens on October 12

By Zachary Roman

The Town of Caledon is looking to hire more volunteer firefighters.

On September 20, the Town announced it was launching a recruitment drive to encourage more Caledon residents to join the Caledon Fire and Emergency Services family. Volunteer firefighters in Caledon answer emergency and non-emergency calls such as fires, medical emergencies, vehicle collisions and more.

In order to become a firefighter in Caledon, a resident has to be over the age of 18, have a valid Class G Driver's License, and live within eight kilometres of a Caledon Fire Station. Interested residents must also attend one of the following mandatory information sessions before applying: October 4 at 7 p.m. at the Southfields Community Centre; October 6 at 10 a.m. at the Albion Bolton Community Centre; or October 12 at 7 p.m. at Station 303 on Old Church Road.

Residents must register in advance for these information sessions online at caledon.ca/fire-recruitment.

Caledon's Fire Chief, Dave Forfar, said volunteer firefighters are everyday Caledon residents with full time careers that make the choice to help their community. He explained volunteer firefighters are compensated financially for their time while answering calls.

“They receive valuable medical training, fire ground training, emergency management experience and life skills,” said Forfar. “You also gain an extended family with Caledon Fire and Emergency Services. We are excited to welcome new community-minded recruits to our team and look forward to working with the successful applicants.”

The application period for new volunteer firefighters will open on October 12 after the completion of the last information session, and will be open until October 31.

The Town of Caledon most recently welcomed 16 new volunteer firefighters to its ranks in June of this year. At that time, it was announced further recruitment would begin in the Fall.