The Burns Lake Fire Rescue (BLFR) is looking for more volunteers.
They are hoping to recruit six new members to the team in 2025.
"That will bring us back up to 32, which is a good number for us to go into the new season with," said Rob Krause, director of protective services.
Applicants need to be 19 to 55 years-old and have a valid class 5 drivers license.
"We do all of the training in house, so they don't have to have any previous training," said Krause.
"They do have to have a reasonable level of fitness; it is a physical demanding job. Once accepted as a new recruit, they have to get a doctor's physical, so we know they are healthy," he added.
That being said, Krause emphasized recruits don't necessarily have to have a high level of physical strength in order to volunteer.
"It is a misnomer that everybody has to be able to do all the heavy lifting. Yes, we need people who can do that, but I also need smaller-statured people who can go into small spaces. We do confined space rescue, so great big burly guys do not fit into small spaces very well," he said.
They also need members who can show compassion and empathy during medical calls.
BLFR is also hoping to increase the number of women volunteers. The department currently has four female volunteers and are looking for more.
"Two of the new applicants are both female, so we are looking to expand our numbers again," Krause said.
Some of the volunteer jobs include auto extrication, structure fires, wild fires and medical calls.
Structure fires were the most common this year in Burns Lake.
"I believe we had 19 reportable (structure) fires this year, which is the highest it's ever been since I have been involved with the fire department," Krause said.
Two of the fires occurred last week.
"One was caused by a faulty heater and one was caused by a candle. I can't point to one single thing that has caused the increase this year," he added.
Volunteers do receive a small stipend for their contributions. They also get paid for standby during the summer months.
To get in touch with BLFR, Krause said potential volunteers can call 250-692-7587 or send a message on Facebook.
