For years they have quietly done a job with little recognition
or public fanfare.
When a San Benito County resident is hurt or their home is on
fire, they jump in their car and race to the rescue.
For years they have quietly done a job with little recognition or public fanfare.
When a San Benito County resident is hurt or their home is on fire, they jump in their car and race to the rescue.
The men and women of the San Benito County Volunteer Fire Department give of their time and energy to make their community a safer place to live, said Volunteer Fire Department Chief Paul Hain.
For nearly 30 years, the county has contracted with the California Department of Forestry to respond to emergency calls within the outlying areas of the county, Hain said.
Many people don’t realize the firefighters and emergency personnel responding are volunteers being paid $12 per call – a fee that basically covers the wear and tear on the volunteer’s own vehicle, Hain said.
“When most people call 911, as long as they see a big red engine responding, they don’t really care who these folks are,” Hain said. “There could be 10 paid people and 20 volunteers and they all look the same.”
CDF has only four paid, full-time employees, said CDF engineer Kevin Guerra. The 25 county volunteers are put through twice-monthly training courses and because of their expertise and knowledge of the area are often hired by CDF during fire season to help fight wildland fires, he said.
Approximately eight volunteers are working with CDF this summer, he said.
“(The volunteers) are the backbone – without them we’d really be in trouble,” Guerra said. “A lot of them are trying to get into the fire service as a career… so they’ll help out and stay with (CDF) or move on to city departments somewhere.”
Over the years, the ratio of volunteers who are attempting to make firefighting a career has tipped the scales away from those who only do it to help out the community, Hain said.
“It’s about 80-20, but that’s just the nature of our society,” he said. “People commute more, there are fewer people living in town and there’s more demands on people’s time and energy.”
The department scrutinizes its volunteers through a rigorous interview process before bringing them aboard, to make sure they have the time it takes to commit to the responsibility, Hain said.
Having a department filled with well-meaning people who never have the time to respond to emergencies would be a disservice to the public, he said.
“It’s a challenge, especially during fire season because many of the volunteers become seasonal firefighters for CDF,” Hain said. “Because we attract qualified people they’re readily seen by CDF folks and they like to hire them.”
The county equips the fire department with a fire engine, a back-up engine, a wildland engine and a water tender, which is a large transportable truck filled with water, Hain said.
It pays around $500,000 annually to contract with CDF to provide the service, he said.
Because the county is strapped for money and cannot afford to fund additional paid, full-time positions, the volunteers are essential to the safety of county residents, Hain said.
“Not only does it provide a training ground for young people, but it provides an outlet for people who can use their skills and abilities to benefit the community,” he said.
County Supervisor Reb Monaco believes the volunteers provide an essential service to the community.
“The volunteers have always impressed me, not just in firefighting, but you have a stand-by force that’s very valuable,” Monaco said. “Once they’re trained, you’ve got residents who are committed to staying here and you always have the capacity to tap into that resource.”
