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25 suit up for volunteer firefighting brigade
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Posted on Jan 12 2005
A newly formed volunteer firefighter group got off to a good start, with 25 individuals showing up at the association’s first general membership meeting on Tuesday evening.
Stanley C. Torres, chief of the Commonwealth Ports Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Unit, said at least 20 others have expressed interest in joining the group but were not able to come to the meeting due to prior commitments and other reasons.
The Commonwealth Volunteer Fire Department Association was created to temporarily fill the positions left by U.S. Army reservists called to active duty.
The CPA airport fire unit alone had nine of its 25 personnel take military leave following the U.S. Army’s call for reinforcement. As a result, the airport, which used to have about 10 firefighters on duty at any given time, now has only six men.
Torres, who is also the CVFDA president, said the volunteers, who included one female, received on Tuesday night a briefing about the type of training they will undergo and details of the work they were volunteering for.
Volunteer firefighters, he added, are expected to contribute one day of work every month and to serve as back-up manpower in case of a major disaster.
Training, which will be limited to an initial batch of about 40 volunteers, will begin next month, and will be done mostly at nighttime to accommodate participants who have day jobs, Torres said.
But before training can begin, CVFDA has to raise funds for uniforms and training materials. The group is looking at applying for federal grants, the fire chief said.
“I think we have a good chance at getting some federal funds because we’re working for a good cause,” Torres said.
The CVFDA is an independent, non-profit organization.
Other officials of the CVFDA board of directors are Shell’s Jeff Boyer, vice president; Educational Training Agency’s Vince McFarland, treasurer; and Northern Marianas College’s Dave Attao, secretary.
Hotel Association of the Northern Marianas Islands’ Ed Salas, attorney Robert T. Torres, and Workforce Investment Agency’s Jesse P. Stein are members.
