The Taché Fire Department is looking to add more members to their stations in Lorette and Ste. Genevieve. 

Chief Allan Rau is optimistic they will fill the vacancies. 

“I have received 13 applications. The majority are for Lorette, but I have a couple for Ste. Genevieve as well, and we're looking at doing an orientation session for those individuals that have applied in early May.” 

Rau says orientation will include a physical fitness course. 

“First off, you do it in your civilian attire. You do some heavy lifting, pulling, dragging, those types of situations,” he explains. “And then the following week, we put some turnout gear on you. The following week after that, we put an SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) on your back. You're not breathing through the mask, but you're just wearing the weight. You can decide whether you can do the job, and we're also monitoring you to see whether you can do that job.” 

Rau says there are a lot of firefighters who are self-employed, which makes it easier for them to attend calls during the workday. 

And he appreciates the many employers who allow staff to leave when the fire department needs them to attend an emergency. 

Landmark has a full complement of 15 firefighters, while Lorette is short one and Ste. Genevieve needs two more. 

Applicants need to reside in the RM of Taché in order to become a member of Taché Fire Department, which is a rural, paid-on-call fire department with 47 members within three stations. It serves approximately 12,000 residents and firefighters respond to 160+ calls per year including fire, motor vehicle collisions, hazmat incidents, rescue and EMS assist calls. 

To apply, visit www.rmtache.ca/p/recruitment. 

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