The Mattapoisett Fire Department has a message for all able-bodied residents who may be home during weekday hours – “We Need You!”
Or more accurately, the townspeople need you.
Fire Chief Andrew Murray has been actively recruiting for at least four new call firefighters since the beginning of June. “I’ve only spoken to two people who may be interested,” he said.
And with low interest comes greater risk to those who depend on a fully-staffed fire department, namely each and every person and business owner in the community.
With three schools, active churches, and hundreds of wooden structures including commercial buildings, any fire incident could be catastrophic if there aren’t enough trained personnel to staff the apparatus.
“Right now, we only have two people to cover the entire town during the week,” Murray said.
Every year, the department attempts to recruit at least four new people – women or men – who can be available primarily during the daylight hours Monday through Friday.
“We supply all the training, equipment, personal safety gear, everything,” Murray said. He explained that the training entails attending the fire academy in Fall River over the course of a four-month period, “a couple of evenings and Saturdays,” as well as passing the Massachusetts Human Resources physical exam.
“Anyone between sixteen and eighteen years of age can become a junior firefighter,” Murray explained, “And anyone eighteen to sixty-five would be considered for a firefighter position,” adding, “It would be great if more women would come in.”
Murray said the biggest problem was that the majority of those who would be considered a good candidate for the fire department travel out of town to work, leaving the pool of eligible people very low.
Call firefighters are not volunteers, as Town Administrator Michael Gagne explained during a recent Board of Selectmen meeting. Junior firefighters are paid minimum wage and call firefighters start at $20.25 per hour, Murray said.
In an effort to counter the struggle of staffing in what is essentially a bedroom community with a high population of retired residents, a new program geared towards engaging juveniles is being planned – the Tri-Town Cadet program.
The program is the brainchild of Mattapoisett’s Lieutenant Justin Dubois.
“I’ve been thinking about something like this for a long time,” Dubois said.
Dubois, along with Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony, firefighter Joel Waters, and Rochester’s Captain Jeff Eldridge and firefighter Tracey Eldridge, have been actively scoping out an outline of how the program will function.
“There’s a lot to this,” said Dubois.
Dubois said that while the goal will ultimately be to interest local youths in fire service, it would also prepare them by instilling life skills.
“The skills they’ll learn can keep them and their families safe for a lifetime, but there’s more to it than that,” Dubois said. “This program will be very structured like the youth ROTC program in New Bedford.”
What they envision is a program that will teach youths how to promote themselves after graduating from high school. “They’ll learn how to develop a resume, handle themselves during an interview; these are skills they are going to need whether they choose a career in the fire department or not,” Dubois said.
Skills directly related to fire suppression techniques will, of course, be a big part of the program as well. “They’ll learn about fire codes, code enforcement, fire prevention, fire science and how the Tri-Town fire departments work,” said Dubois.
While the fire department has been engaging young children in the school system in the first, third, and sixth grades through the S.A.F.E. (Students Awareness of Fire Education) program, the cadet program will be geared towards students at the high school.
“We’ll expect them to have good grades in school, and we’ll give them assignments to complete,” Dubois emphasized. “They’ll have a chance to look and explore options while finding out if being a first responder is something they’d like to continue with.”
He said the students may not know how to find out if being an EMT, firefighter, police officer, or nurse is something they want to pursue as a career, but with the cadet program, they’ll have that opportunity.
“Of course, we hope they’ll want to become firefighters, but this is a way to find out,” said Dubois.
Mattapoisett Selectman Jordan Collyer knows firsthand how critical mentoring at a young age can be.
“I was thirteen years old when I became a junior firefighter.” Collyer said that retired Fire Chief Ronald Scott, who was the chief at that time, was a big factor in not only giving him an opportunity to become a call firefighter but also encouraging him to pursue secondary education in fire science.
“He told me about college programs where I could learn fire science. He told me to give it a shot,” Collyer remembered.
While the guidance department at the high school attempted to dissuade Collyer from what was described as a “nothing major,” he attended the University of New Haven and was employed by a multi-national insurance company before graduation.
“Chief Scott was right; I was able to make a career out of fire science.”
Collyer has been affiliated with the Mattapoisett Fire Department for the last 24 years and is a captain in the department.
The Tri-Town Cadet program is still in the early stages of development, but Dubois hopes to launch it when school re-opens in the fall at both Old Rochester Regional High School and Old Colony Regional Vocational High School.
“Once we start the ball rolling, we hope the students will want to become junior firefighters. That’s how I began my career,” Collyer said.
If you or your children are interested in fire department or first responder opportunities, contact your local fire department – they are waiting for your call.
By Marilou Newell