The Haines Volunteer Fire Department has seen a surge of interest with 12 new applicants this month. Currently, the force has 35 members.
Fire chief Al Giddings said many of the new applicants have expressed a desire to serve in the department’s Search and Rescue (SAR) company. Other companies in the department include fire and ambulance.
“It’s a way that I think that I can help support the community, and I think it’s a good fit for me,” said prospective member Sean Gaffney. He has worked with the department in the past and has years of experience working as a professional guide. Gaffney said he plans to join SAR at first and may join the ambulance company later.
Gaffney said his decision to join was somewhat influenced by the Dec. 2 landslide and his involvement with the subsequent search and rescue effort. He added that he thinks it’s important for a community like Haines to have a robust search and rescue team.
“It’s not only that we’re remote, it’s that a lot of us and a lot of visitors spend time off of the road system, in the winter in the mountains and in the summer,” Gaffney said.
Southeast Alaska Dogs Organized for Ground Search (SEADOGS) member Joe Oesterling expressed a similar sentiment. He also plans to join the SAR company.
“I have always been willing to be part of a Haines SAR team, and I attended many of the meetings and trainings that have occurred over the last few years trying to get the team started,” Oesterling said. “I do think the slide really brought the importance of a local team to the forefront for many of us in the SAR community. Living in this community anyone of us could find ourselves in need of assistance in the backcountry, and I feel like it’s part of a community service I can participate in.”
Giddings said wanting to support the community was a common theme among applicants.
“I have personally sat down to answer questions and make sure they understand what the fire department is all about. Most applicants express a desire to help and give back to the community, however several applicants simply expressed ‘the honor to serve,’” Giddings said.
He said in recent years, the number of calls for search and rescue has increased. The department received eight in 2019 and six in 2020, including the Dec. 2 landslide where volunteers with wilderness experience came together to assist with the search for missing residents Jenae Larson and David Simmons. The search and rescue effort involved collaboration from organizations throughout the region including Juneau Mountain Rescue (JMR), SEADOGS, Capital City Fire/Rescue, Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska National Guard.
Giddings said the department is currently placing emphasis on search and rescue training and equipment.
“We are gearing up for what we anticipate will be an active summer ahead. It’s all about physical conditioning, safety, taking care of each other, training on the equipment, and training in search techniques and navigation,” Giddings said. “Typically, in the fire department, we train for the worst-case scenario three-hundred and sixty-four days of the year for that one day where it’s going to be needed.”
The surge of interest in the fire department comes at a time when the number of volunteers has dwindled due, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve lost about seventeen people. For some, they had to go down south to take care of parents. For some, they are voluntarily isolating (as a COVID-19 precaution),” Giddings said. Nationwide, prior to the pandemic, fire departments were trending away from volunteer-based models to departments composed of paid staff due to volunteer attrition.
Giddings said he’s been trying to combat attrition by recruiting new members. Prior experience and formal training aren’t prerequisites, instead, he said he’s trying to find people who are ready to take on the commitment.
“I really want to get new members who are interested, who would like a challenge, and who feel a call to duty to serve the community,” he said.
Once an applicant is voted into the department, they undergo a one-year probationary period.
“We want to leave room for people to join and realize they don’t like blood. They don’t like fire,” Giddings said. “A full member is their sponsor for the entire year as they learn about the equipment and how we function together as a unit.”
The 12 applicants will be voted in at a fire department meeting in early March.