BLAINE, Minn. – (March 19, 2015) – The Spring Lake Park, Blaine, Mounds View Fire Department is in the middle of the quite possibly the largest recruitment campaign in its history. SBM has lost a number of firefighters to retirement lately and expects to lose more in the next three to five years. Armed with a federal recruitment grant the department is working hard to shore up the ranks.
“We have a federal grant with some money allotted for recruiting so that we can hire somewhere between eight and twelve firefighters within the next 12 months,” says Maddison Zikmund of the SBM Fire Department.
According to the Zikmund people of all ages and backgrounds can be successful volunteer firefighters. “At this fire station we have females and males of all ages anywhere from 20s to late 50s that are still volunteer firefighters. We have plumbers, we have electricians, we have salesman, we have insurance agents; it doesn’t matter what you do during the daytime, this can make all the difference on nights and weekends. We’re just looking for people who want to give back to the community.”
The time commitment upfront is rather large (two nights a week for six months). But after the training is complete the commitment becomes more flexible. A volunteer can work anywhere between five and ten hours a week.
No prior experience is needed and new recruits will earn multiple state certifications through the training. While the department does not pay their firefighters there are still several benefits that come with the position. “Outside of just coming and being apart of this family and going on emergency calls, we offer a life insurance stipend.” Additionally, the department offers workout facilities, use of the stations for personal gatherings or parties, and the highest paying fire pension plan in Minnesota, that is available after ten years of service.
Madison also mentioned that when you join the department you are joining a group of people that are committed to make their community a better place. “It is a family feeling around here- brothers and sisters, people to go to for personal issues. But people just want to give back and this is a very unique opportunity to do that in a lot of different ways whether its going to help people on their worst day, saving someone from a car accident, CPR, cardiac arrest, or just going and giving a helping hand and installing a smoke detector.”
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a firefighter with the SBM Fire Department there are two upcoming information sessions on March 31 and April 1, both starting at 7:00 p.m. at Station Three in Blaine. For more information about the SBM Fire Department click here.
