DIVFD - Recruiting and Training

How to Join the DIVFD

Just come to the firehall (5555 Denman Road) for one of our weekly (Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm) practices and sign up. All training is provided by the Department, including our weekly training sessions at the hall and access to professional firefighting courses put on by other departments.

Anyone over 18 can become a firefighter. Junior members aged 16-18 are welcome, but are not permitted to engage in front-line firefighting.

Joining the Fire Department is a committment. Members are expected to attend at least 75% of weekly practices. As a member, you will be supplied with a pager which will notify you of emergency callouts. Empoyers are encouraged to permit their employees who are members of the Department to leave work in order to respond to emergencies.

Auxilliary Members

In additional to regular members, the Department also has an active Auxilliary. These members, who train once a month, fill critical support roles at major incidents, freeing the firefighters to concentrate on front-line emergency response.

Jobs Within the Department

Firefighters are trained to respond to structure fires, brush fires, motor vehicle incidents and rescues. At any time, a firefighter may be called upon to perform any task in these situations, including attacking a fire with a hose, rescuing victims, driving tanker trucks, even being incident commander.

First Responders, in addition to being trained as firefighters, have additional training in emergency medical response. They are called out to many ambulance calls where having trained personnel on the scene quickly can make the difference between life and death. Due to the Fire Department's large number of First Responders, we are often able to respond to the scene of an emergency faster than an ambulance can. The First Responder's job is to stabilize the patient until the ambulance arrives, and then to assist the paramedics as required.

Radio Operators assist firefighters and first responders by providing communication services from the firehall's radio room during incidents. They provide a link between responders at an incident and any other services that may be required. They also perform support services such as refilling and transporting air bottles.

Auxilliary Menbers provide support services during major incidents. At major fires, they are called upon to provide a steady supply of water to the firefighters using the Department's tanker trucks. They operate pumps, transport equipment, and change air bottles, freeing the front-line firefighters to attack the fire.

Junior Members are aged 16-18, and are trained in the same skills as firefighters. They do not participate in live-fire training, and are not permitted to engage in firefighting at incidents. However, their training provides a sound basis for a career in firefighting or for future full participation in the Department.

If you would like to serve your community in any of these capacities, we can provide the training and the opportunity.

Training

Weekly meeting / practice (Thursday evenings) for firefighters
Monthly practice for Auxilliary members
Monthly practice for First Responders
Courses through Comox Fire Department or other agencies:
- Fire Attack (live fire)
- Survival Training and Rescue Techniques (START)
- First Responder Certification
- Air Brake Endorsement

Training is a committment. Department members are expected to attend at least 75% of the training sessions. The DIVFD trains to the Basic Firefighter standard, with the goal of completing the NFPA Firefighter Level 1 and 2 qualifications.