Department news News
DEPARTMENT PROFILE: King Fire & Emergency Services

Department name/location
King Fire and Emergency Services, Township of King, Ont.

Photo by Laura King

Chief/deputies
Chief Bryan Burbidge
Deputy Chief James Wall

Type of department
Composite
(Full-time administration and prevention only)

Mandate
Public education, prevention, fire, rescue services and first-response EMS

Number of stations/halls
Three stations

• King City (Station 3-4)
• Schomberg (Station 3-6)
• Nobleton (Station 3-8)

Number of firefighters
4 full-time staff
105 volunteers

Number of officers
Full-time fire chief, deputy chief and fire prevention officer; three district chiefs; three assistant district chiefs; 15 captains; 12 acting captains.

Uniform colour
Standard, using Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs rank insignia

Population served
21,000-plus

Geographic area served
330 square kilometres

Number of apparatuses
3 rescue pumpers
3 pumpers
2 50-foot tele squirt
5 tankers
1 command/rehab unit
1 heavy rescue
6 utility vehicles
1 public-education trailer

Shift
Volunteer department (pioneers of the 24-hour shift!)

Hiring procedure
Volunteer firefighter recruitment usually every two years. King Fire & Emergency Services usually takes on 10 to 15 volunteers and creates a wait list of 10 on top of that. Successful firefighters receive 160 hours of training before being permitted to respond to calls. Over the last six years, King Fire & Emergency has  averaged an attrition rate of 10 per year due to retirements and resignations.

Level to which your department trains
King Fire & Emergency trains and certifies to the Ontario firefighter curriculum as per the Ontario firefighter standard.

Call volume
1,100 incidents per year; busiest station is King City (Station 3-4) at 600 a year, followed by Schomberg at 400 a year and Nobleton at 200 a year. During the day, King Fire & Emergency Services responds with two stations automatically to incidents that will involve more than one apparatus.

Recruitment 2011 – 24 positions (including wait list).
Review of the fire master plan.

When was the department founded
Three separate departments brought together in 1999.

Oldest station or most unique station
Station 3-6 – Schomberg – is unique because it has a two-storey training house built inside!

Department’s mantra or saying
“That to The” . . . Part of King Fire & Emergency Service’s mission, vision and values statement is to make the service “THE” fire service: “Our daily activities and forward thinking will take us from ‘THAT’ fire service to ‘THE’ fire service.

KFES has produced a “challenge coin” that carries the words duty, trust and honour and “That to The.” The coin is carried by members and supporters of KFES.

Social or athletic activities in which your members participate
KFES hosts an annual firefighter appreciation and awards night that is attended by 90 per cent of the department. Staff have a pick-up hockey league, play baseball in the summer and participate in various fundraising events for charities.

Causes your department supports
Muscular Dystrophy, Camp Bucko, breast cancer awareness, Children’s Wish Foundation.

Unique events your department hosts
For Victoria Day, staff from Nobleton (Station 3-8) produce an awesome fireworks display. Over the last 20 years, the Nobleton crew has done the fundraising and organizing and has been responsible for the pyrotechnic display itself. Every year thousands of people come out to view the show, which costs about $20,000 to put on.