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Niagara Falls
Thursday, March 28, 2024
NOTL fire departments to ramp up volunteer recruitment

Niagara-on-the-Lake Fire and Emergency Services will be ramping up recruitment initiatives throughout the summer and into the fall.

Information sessions will be held in September for interested parties and their families to learn about the application process and the amount of time required in the role of a firefighter.

Nick Ruller, deputy fire chief for NOTL Fire, said volunteer firefighters often explain their positions as demanding, but rewarding. 

“Recruiting and retaining volunteers in any organization is challenging in todays climate. Specifically — in our organization — the time commitment often surprises potential candidates,” he said.

“Our firefighters are continually training in order to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve. Gone are the days where the focus was on fire suppression. Our organization has evolved into an all-hazards response agency covering services like auto extrication, patient care and rope rescue, to name a few,” he adds.

Information session dates are September 13 at 7 p.m. at Station 1 in Old Town and September 25 at 7 p.m. at Station 5 in Glendale.

To register to become a volunteer firefighter, download the application form or fill one out online at notl.org/content/recruitment, or by calling the fire department’s administration office at 905-468-3266.

Applications can be submitted all year round. Only applications received prior to October 19 (2018) will be considered for the 2019 recruit intake.

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is provided fire protection services to its residents and visitors through a volunteer firefighter service delivery model that operates out of five fire stations. There are between 20 and 25 volunteers assigned to each fire station that collectively respond to over 650 incidents annually.

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