LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department is looking for some recruits to join its ranks.

The department currently has 10 members only half of the number volunteer Fire Chief Pat Rowe said would be ideal.

Members of the Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department Scott Cameron, left, and Laurie Ozmun spray water to protect nearby buildings during a live burn exercise on March 31. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The department can respond to a fire with as low as six members but, "it's way better to have more," Rowe said.

Declining numbers are nothing new for the department.

"The highs and lows are always there," Rowe said.

The department hasn't reached a critical size yet but Rowe said new members would be appreciated. If current members leave town for work or personal reasons it's nice to know that there are other people trained to take their places, he said.

Being a member of the department involves attending practices every second Wednesday. The training sessions could be increased in frequency to every week if there are more people to train, Rowe said.

All members of the department are on call for fire protection and highway rescue all day, every day. At any given time three members are also on medical call for the ambulance.

"We're open for business seven days a week, 365 days a year," said Rowe.

The department plans to have an aggressive training program focusing on medical, response and motor vehicle accidents this summer. On March 31 the department held one of their twice annual live burn exercises.

Nine firefighters practised their skills on a fire set in an old trailer at the village's recycling depot. In pairs the firefighters began by entering one of the trailer's rooms that was on fire and spraying water to create steam. The object is to get control of the fire by smothering it, said Rowe.

The members watched to see at what point they gained control of the fire before letting it build back up again. A live burn exercise adds more realism to the training, said Rowe.

"(It's) how we'd do business in an actual house fire," he said.

After everyone had practised the technique the fire was allowed to consume the whole trailer. Members manned hoses to protect nearby buildings from also setting ablaze. Similar exposure protection would be used in the case of an uncontrolled burn, said Rowe.

Live burns are one of the more enjoyable training exercises along with vehicle extrication and search and rescues in buildings, said Scott Cameron, a member of the department.

"I thought it went well," Cameron said about the exercise.

The plan was to do an interior fire attack and everyone was able to experience that scenario, he said.

Cameron, who is a public safety specialist with Parks Canada, has been part of the department for just over three years. Cameron said he was looking for a volunteer activity to participate in and a co-worker who was on the department urged him to join.

"It's really a valuable community service," Cameron said.

"There's a great sense of camaraderie and it's also a lot of fun. We get to burn things and rip things apart and break a lot of glass."

In addition to the community service the members also hold a lot of social events including golf tournaments, curling bonspiels and potlucks. Cameron said he's willing to talk with anyone who's considering joining the department.