Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Providence (Nov 16/01) - In a time of urgent need, the Fort Providence volunteer fire department received the shot in the arm it was seeking.

The department jumped from just two volunteers to 11 regulars over the past few months.

"We're getting back up there again ... it seems like we've got a good group of dedicated people here," said Kelvin McLeod, a nine-year firefighting veteran who has decided to take on the duties of fire chief.

Fire training meetings have been held on a weekly basis over the past month until the new recruits get a firm grounding.

A plea for help went out in the community in early September after only two firefighters, McLeod and former fire chief Raymond Bonnetrouge, responded to a warehouse blaze. They agreed that had a house fire occurred there would have been a grave risk of losing lives due to a lack of resources.

There was discussion of the need for honorariums to attract volunteers, but McLeod said with the new crop of recruits there's been no further mention of compensation.

Andy Sapp, who has lived in Fort Providence for 18 years, is one of the new volunteers. With a long-time interest in firefighting, he said he has been enjoying learning about fire behaviours and how the fire truck functions. It's something he can foresee himself doing for quite a while, he said. "Oh definitely ... I don't think I'll be quitting any time soon," he said.

Eighteen people initially joined the fire brigade, but some of them have dropped out for various reasons. "We could use some more (volunteers) but compared to what it was, I'm comfortable with it for the time being," said McLeod. "Hopefully we get more members though."