In 28 ½ years as a Prince George firefighter, with every fire he attended with his crew, every traffic accident and medical call they responded to, Fred Wilkinson knew there was someone who needed his help on what was likely one of the worst day of their lives.
Months or years later, he’d recognize them in the line at the supermarket or at a hockey game, knowing the last time they’d met, he or one of his colleagues has pulled them out of wrecked vehicle or provided CPR to restore a heart rhythm.
It was his reminder he’d made the right career choice and that continues today for the 55-year-old Wilkinson, nearly two months into his retirement from Prince George Fire Rescue
“When you run into a person you’ve assisted and see them out and about walking and talking it gives you a little bit of satisfaction that you’ve helped that person,” said Wilkinson. “There are aspects of the job where you see sometimes pretty terrible things, but firefighting itself is a challenge and it’s fun. It’s an adrenaline rush. I think lots of people who get into the profession will say when they get a fire, people maybe don’t understand it, but they get hyped up and excited because they get to do what they’re trained for.”
Like a well-rehearsed team preparing for a championship, firefighters are often put to the test to save lives and Wilkinson worked his way up the ladder to become an assistant chief, which cast him into the role as coach of that team. One call that stands out for him came on a day when he was the incident commander responding to a house fire where they saved two lives.
“Just to see the staff that came and responded and how they performed - they did risk themselves a bit to try and save this family and unfortunately one person succumbed to their injuries - but they did a tremendous job switching from firefighting to their paramedic roles out on the lawn,” said Wilkinson.
“Just sitting watching the whole thing, it was incredible. It was the highlight of my career to see how the training has come and to see how they performed that day to save those people was incredible. I was so proud of them.”
When Wilkinson joined the force in 1995 there were very few choices for firefighting schools and he went to Maple Ridge to get his basic certification. When he applied with the city, there were two or three hundred aspiring recruits looking for the same job. From that group, 80 wrote the test and only five were hired.
He was 26 when he joined and those five recruits allowed the city to double its fire suppression staff at the Ospika Fire Hall No. 2 staff to a four-person station to meet National Fire Protection Association standards. He advanced up the seniority pole to become and officer, which brought more responsibility and more stress which comes with job of being in charge of a crew.
In a career that spanned nearly three decades, Wilkinson’s job changed significantly. Ten years ago, under chief John Lane, all Prince George firefighters raised their first aid standards to become Emergency Medical Responders, equivalent to that of a basic paramedic. Education of firefighting techniques and safety standards also took a leap forward to make the job less hazardous.
“We have much better personal protective equipment than we used to have, and we get much better training now on strategies and tactics to make good decisions on the safest way to attack a hazard,” said Wilkinson. “You’re not going to risk peoples’ lives unnecessarily. Firefighters weren’t made to carry firefighters to their death, so you always keep that at the back of your mind.”
Firefighters spend more time together than workers in most other occupations. Their lives depend on each other in dangerous situations and during down time at the fire hall it’s their chance to decompress from the stresses they encounter on the job. Much more professional help is available to them now to combat PTSD and other mental issues, but they still lean on each other to relieve that stress and that builds tight relationships with their fellow firefighters.
“It’s like having a second family,” he said. “You know these people intimately and we share a lot of stuff people wouldn’t in other work environments. You develop a close team and friendships that will last after you’re retired and it’s pretty neat.
“That type of work helps build tighter bonds. Your friends on your days off end up being mostly the people you work with. It’s just kind of how it happens.”
Wilkinson is a fitness buff and plans to keep up the regular gym workouts routine he’s been doing for years at the fire hall. His motivation to pound the weights, especially late in his career, was he never wanted to be the weakest link on the crew.
“When I first started it wasn’t even a consideration, and now it’s huge, people keep themselves in really good shape,” he said. “It was different back in the day and that whole culture has shifted and changed immensely.”
May 29 was Wilkinson’s last day on the job and that means more time with his wife Karen, who is retiring after 32 years teaching high school biology. They plan to camp and fish and will be free to visit their sons in Saskatchewan and Victoria.
“It was tough leaving,” he said.
“I really enjoyed working with my shift, it ‘s just so much fun, but I’m not going to miss the stress of the calls, or the night shifts. Our call volume has gone up about 30 per cent over the last two years and it’s everything that’s gone up.”
