Carbonear Fire Department boasts full complement of members

By Mark Squibb/October 7, 2022

Residents of Carbonear and the outlying area can rest easy knowing the Carbonear Volunteer Fire Department boats a full complement of 40 volunteer firefighters ready at a moment’s notice if need be.

“We always have a full crew,” said Carbonear Fire Chief Adam Earle. “I know some places, in the daytime, struggle with members working out of town, but we’re pretty fortunate here. We always have a big turnout if there’s a fire in the middle of the day.”

Members of the department have been plenty busy this year, and have responded to some high-profile calls, most notably the blaze that destroyed a downtown building over Easter weekend and a large forest fire that burned behind Dairy Queen in early August.

A number of those members were presented with service awards at last week’s Fireman’s Ball.

Ron Garland and Richard Rossiter received awards for 35 years of service, Tom Crawford for 30 years, Stephen Barrett for 25 years, Keith Keough for 20 years, Eddie Wrice for 10 years, and Stephen Green, Peter Chubbs, Don Antle, and Mike Slade for five years.

This year past the department had 79 calls. In other years, the department ahs had upwards of 120.

To mark Fire Prevention Week, members of the Department will be hosting fire drills and special presentations in local schools, as well as an Open House as well on October 12.

It’s an opportunity for kids to see the man behind the mask, so they’re not so afraid if they see a firefighter approaching during an emergency situation.

“When you look at him coming, and hear him breathing, it sounds like Darth Vader coming in the dark,” said Earle. “So, we lay all the gear out and let them look at it and touch it and let them see what it is, and we’ll say, ‘This is the fireman that’s coming to help you, this is what he looks like, and this is the noise that he’s going to be making when he breaths, so don’t be afraid, this is just the fireman that’s coming to help you.’”

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is ‘Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape,’ and Earle said it’s important families call a ‘family meeting’ to best plan their escape plan in case of an emergency.