Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 28/05) - Nothing gets Wayne Vielhauer's adrenaline pumping quite like preparing to answer a call for help.

As paid-on-call firefighter with the Yellowknife Fire Department, the call for Vielhauer's help can come at any time of the day or night.

"It doesn't get boring. It's the hands-on and driving in the truck and the unpredictability of your day," said Vielhauer, who is also a seven-year veteran firefighter at the Yellowknife airport.

"The dedication has to be there, but it has its rewards," he said.

The Yellowknife fire department has 15 paid-on-call firefighters who complement the 20 on the full-time staff.

Deputy fire chief Chucker Dewar said firefighters form a close-knit family on the job and the paid-on-call members are a valuable part of the team.

"If we didn't have a paid-on-call core to our department, we'd probably require more resources to do the things we do in the community," Dewar said.

The on-call firefighters have full time jobs, some have families, but all put in 15 hours a month to respond to emergency calls.

"When you think of the demands, they are pretty dedicated individuals," Dewar said.

"They are a valuable support function to us."

Martin Haefele has been a paid-on-call firefighter with the department for more than two years and previously worked as a volunteer firefighter in Fort Good Hope.

"We get to do things others don't get to do and when most people run out, we run in," Haefele said.

"My day job is an office job, so I like working with the trucks and tools," he said. "It's an adrenaline rush, but it's also a way of keeping myself sharp."

"I want to stay healthy and keep doing it as long as I can."

For Len Joa, who has been part of the paid-on-call staff since 2002, it's the enjoyment of the people he meets and the staff that keeps him coming back.

"I like the camaraderie. It's fun, rewarding and it's nice to give back to the community," he said.

Dewar also said compassion and a positive attitude are essential in the firefighting role.

"Sometimes we can be in difficult situations and a person with a positive attitude and a common sense approach to things usually has the capability of handling things better," Dewar said.

They also need a good sense of humour.

"We need to laugh just like everybody else," he said.

At least 40 hours of basic training is required to achieve the status of paid-on-call firefighter, said deputy fire chief Darcy Hernblad.

They then are trained on a monthly basis for trucks, medics and equipment.

"To achieve journeyman status through a fire school, the training would be nine months," Hernblad said.

Through the paid-on-call training process, it takes years, he said.