{"id":75417,"date":"2024-04-15T14:51:52","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T20:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=75417"},"modified":"2024-05-09T14:54:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T20:54:45","slug":"calgary-fire-family-embraces-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2024\/04\/15\/calgary-fire-family-embraces-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary Fire family embraces diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-75417-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cfd_submit_this-360p.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cfd_submit_this-360p.mp4\">http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/cfd_submit_this-360p.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"wpsdc-drop-cap\">F<\/span>rom the front lines to the front of the office, veteran firefighters are growing the fire family through recruitment.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the years, the Calgary Fire Department has become more than a career. It is a place that fosters an unbreakable bond among its members, creating a special and enduring fire family. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe eat together, we train together, go on calls, and try to grow and be better together,\u201d said Scott Carnegie, a recruitment officer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The family bond is an essential part of the fire department \u2014 a source of strength, support, encouragement, comradeship, and friendships vital to the well-being of firefighters across the city. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen you leave the fire hall, you can rely on your brothers and sisters to help you if you\u2019re in a bind,\u201d said Irene Kharouba, a firefighter working in the recruiting office. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the circle of firefighting grows, so does the make-up of the workforce. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some seasoned firefighters \u2014 who have spent years responding to emergencies \u2014\u00a0 are now transitioning into roles in recruitment. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These veteran firefighters bring not just stories of courage, but an understanding of the qualities needed to thrive in such a demanding and rewarding career. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe mostly recruit someone who shares our values, likes working in the community and someone who has done a lot of community volunteering,\u201d said Tania Tyson, a recruitment officer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To reach potential candidates, they deploy varied strategies including community outreach, career fairs, and the use social media to showcase the passion-driven action that comes with the job. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They also call attention to the personal and professional rewards of a career in firefighting. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI do career fairs, where I talk to the public and introduce them to what our job looks like and its rewards,\u201d said Tyson. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fire departments across North America are working towards building and nurturing a more diverse workforce that represents the communities they serve \u2014 and Calgary is no different. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s a 100 per cent male-dominated profession,\u201d said Tyson. &#8220;I think that is just a historical belief.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s a historical belief that needs to change, according to Carnegie. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDiversity is important,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are always looking for people who can represent the people we serve.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Field firefighters-turned-recruitment-officers are the link between the past and future of the fire department. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through their efforts, they help ensure that the next generation of firefighters is equipped with the skills and sense of community they will need to excel in their roles. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou train to be professional, not squeamish, and to work well in a team, so you are able to deal with the public,&#8221; said Kharouba.\u00a0 &#8220;We see some heartbreaking situations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you\u2019re somebody that wants to become a firefighter, you better be prepared to have a lot of grit and determination.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_75425\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-75425\" style=\"width: 2560px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-75425\" src=\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-678x509.jpg 678w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-326x245.jpg 326w, https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/IMG_6158-1-80x60.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-75425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Ready to go:<\/strong> Gear hangs in firefighters&#8217; lockers in one of Calgary\u2019s fire stations. The gear is fire-resistant and the uniforms are easily recognized by citizens. (Photo by Faithfulness Oyekanmi\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>From the front lines to the front of the office, veteran firefighters are now growing the fire family through recruitment.<br \/>\n <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2024\/04\/15\/calgary-fire-family-embraces-diversity\/\" title=\"Calgary Fire family embraces diversity\">[ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":876,"featured_media":75425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S4 Calgary Fire department ","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,212,711,13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-75417","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-city","8":"category-downtown","9":"category-featured","10":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/876"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75417"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76376,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75417\/revisions\/76376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}