Of all volunteer positions in the community, probably none demand more of a resident than that of serving on a volunteer community fire department.
Granted, everyone serves to the best of their ability in terms of his or her own commitment level, but modern society places high demands and high expectations on the department as a whole to perform the duties expected - and as a result, that means the buck has to stop somewhere. Someone eventually has to take responsibility for overseeeing the operation.
The top jobs in the service are also the most time demanding. The chief and deputy chief discuss their duties and the demands on their lives.
Jordy Bosscha is Keremeos and District Volunteer Fire Department’s present chief. He’s been with the department since 1991, serving the role of chief since 1998.
“My dad did it - I guess it’s a family thing,” Bosscha said when asked why he got involved in the fire department.
His contributions are larger than most - Bosscha estimates he spends two to four hours daily on fire department business. Much of that time is spent on administrative duties, which he shares with Deputy Chief Jim Murphy.
“How has it affected my personal life? My family has sacrificed quite a bit,” Bosscha said.
“I’m fortunate to have a strong-willed wife who can pick up where I leave off.”
Like many others, Bosscha said that he never intended to get as involved in the department as he has.
“I grew into it,” he explained, adding, “I do it to help the community. It’s definitely not for the money - there’s some good cameraderie in the department, and being a member provides some opportunities for socializing. It’s also an opportunity to hang out with others who have similar interests.”
Jim Murphy has been a member of the Keremeos and District Volunteer Fire Department since 2002. Since 2012 he has taken on the role of Deputy Chief.
“What motivated me to join? I don’t know - John Sladen asked me if I was interested, and I decided to give it a try. I never had any particular desire to be a firefighter,” Murphy said.
Moving from a position as one of the regular firefighters to an officer’s position has been one of the biggest challenges faced by Murphy.
“Personal and personnel issues change when you’re the one sorting them out,” he said.
Time spent conducting department business is also an ongoing challenge for Murphy, who said he couldn’t guess how many extra hours he puts in annually to perform the additional adminstrative duties he is repsonsible for as Deputy Chief.
“I guess I’m lucky my wife works in the evenings,” He said, “it gives me the time to spend at the firehall.”
Murphy said the KVFD has a policy of “family first.”
“Calls always come at the worst times,” he said, “including the middle of birthdays or anniversaries. Members can’t realistically be expected to respond each and every time the pager goes off.”
Murphy feels that he is reasonably compensated for his work as a fireman; less so as an administrator. He’s quick to add anyone doing the service for money is doing it for the wrong reason.
Murphy also gets satisfaction from the uniqueness of the service.
“I was in the Armed Forces Reserves for years,” he explained, “so I was used to working with people performing tasks that not many of us want to do, and I found the fire department very similar.” Murphy said he likes the fact that no matter who you are in the public realm, you’re given the same level of service. He sees firefighters as a different breed.
“We look at things a bit differently - there’s a certain mindset at work,” he said.
“I’m also lucky to have a wife who is also very supportive with this aspect of my life,” he concluded, “families sit at home and wait while we go out and do all the fun stuff.”