SanJuan volunteer fire department has trouble finding
recruits
Two years ago the San Juan Volunteer Fire Department had 27
members.
Today those numbers have dwindled to half that, and only nine of
those volunteers are active and go out on calls.
SanJuan volunteer fire department has trouble finding recruits
Two years ago the San Juan Volunteer Fire Department had 27 members.
Today those numbers have dwindled to half that, and only nine of those volunteers are active and go out on calls.
There was a time when San Juan’s fire department had no problem attracting men and women to volunteer with the department. In fact, according to one captain many of the business owners took an active role in protecting their town against the dangers of fire.
For more than 140 years, the San Juan volunteer Fire Department has been serving the Mission community as well as the northwest quadrant of San Benito County.
Unfortunately interests have changed. Many people who live in the community commute outside of it for work and don’t want to volunteer their time after work for such an undertaking, according to Capt. Chris Finstad.
“A lot of business members were volunteers, but now that’s not the case,” Finstad said. “Either people have left the area or the businesses aren’t in existence any more.”
For those who are interested in moving on to full-time firefighting, the volunteer department can serve as a stepping stone. In the century and a half of its existence, men and women have gotten their start with the San Juan department and moved on to larger units.
It’s not always easy. There is no compensation for the work. However, one of the perks is the training. Everyone that volunteers with the department is trained in-house and does regular training with the department. The members get certified in emergency response techniques as well as other certifications.
Many of the former volunteers have gone on to full-time careers with other fire stations including Salinas, the California Department of Forestry, or the San Francisco Fire Department, Finstad said.
San Juan typically responds to about 300 calls per year, but not every volunteer goes out to every call. Everyone wears a pager and if there is a fire in the area, the closest people respond.
Eighteen year-old Sarah Finstad works full-time and goes to school full-time, but somehow she still finds the time to volunteer with the department.
“There’s no stress and it’s a peaceful environment,” Sarah Finstad said. “Because you know everyone and you know they have your back.”
For volunteers such as Chris Finstad and Dan Black, who both work in Santa Clara, they might not be available during the day, but if there is a fire at night they would respond.
Richard Kaiten is an operations manager at a framing company during the day, but after work he gets to live out a lifelong passion.
“I’m living out a childhood dream,” Kaiten said. “This has always been something I was passionate about.”
Kaiten signed up when he first moved to town when he and his wife saw a volunteer box at the Pizza Factory.
“It’s great because I’m constantly getting new training. I got my first responders certification and wild land training as well as my haz[ardous] mat[erial] certification. It’s an adrenalin charge,” Kaiten said. “Three minutes to get from the house to the station. Two minutes to get into the gear. It’s also not impossible that at some point I could get hooked up with CDF, so that’s also a possibility.”
The only requirements to be a volunteer are that the applicant be 18 years-old or older, in good health and physical shape, have a valid drivers license and be a resident of San Juan.
For more information contact the San Juan Fire Department at 831-623-4513.
