Jim Martin the Deputy Fire chief of Prince Rupert has announced his retirement, scheduled for the end of the month. The 32 year veteran of the fire department, who worked his way up the ranks, has seen much change in the nature of his business in Prince Rupert during his career.
From some of the most dramatic fires in the City’s history to the changes in equipment and department policies he has many stories to tell. He reminisced for the Daily News in the Friday edition, providing quite a glimpse into a most remarkable career.
VETERAN FIREFIGHER HANGS UP HAT
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Friday, October 13, 2006
Pages One and Two
It wasn’t quite as bad as the oldtime firemen’s practice of breathing through wet whiskers, but the canvas coats and filtre masks worn by fire fighters in the early 1970’s weren’t all that effective either.
“In the old times, I can remember guys getting steam burns and plastic burns from their gear because it just didn’t protect you,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jim Martin, who is retiring from his post after 32 years.
“The helmets used to melt down if it got too hot and we saw people hurt that way, you’d get into something really hot and it was just pretty normal.”
Martin joined the fire department in May 1974 while on a brief hiatus from university where he was working toward becoming a teacher.
“It wasn’t working out as well as I wanted it to, so I came back up here to work at the fish plant and that spring they advertised for positions at the fire department – I thought ‘yeah, I could do that for a little while,” he said.
“I took a pay cut coming from the fish plant but I thought I’d give it a try, do it for a year and see what happens and go back to school.
“Here I am 32 years later.”
Rather than a short-term job, Martin found he loved the firefighters’ science – learning not only how to put out a fire but how fires evolve and spread.
After 20 years as a firefighter he took the deputy chief’s job in 1994.
“I love going into a building and figuring out what’s going on, how we’re delivering water with the horsepower, friction loss.
“I love all that stuff,” he said.
“And then the investigation that rolls it all together, trying to figure out how the fire got from this point to that,” said Martin.
The last three decades have seen a lot of innovation, notably that driven by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in developing safety equipment. Along with helmets that don’t melt and better and lighter air packs, Martin has seen the move from gasoline to diesel fire engines as well as vast improvements in home safety technology.
“The first smoke alarm I saw… was about the size of a dinner plate, there were seven batteries in it and if I remember right it coast about $125,” he said.
“It was just huge… but every firefighter I knew bought it because they understood right away that this was going to save lives.
“Now they’re buying smoke alarms and giving them to people for $6, it’s just a wonderful improvement in the technology and safety.”
At the beginning of his career, Martin remembers far more fires, but they were also significantly less destructive.
“The interesting thing that’s happened with construction is we’ve got improved buildings but we put more stuff that is flammable inside them,” he said, adding that although the number of fires have gone down the amount of incidents the Fire Department responds to has tripled. “So, the fires have become hotter and faster than I’ve ever seen.”
The Deputy Fire Chief estimates he’s fought around 3,500 fires in his career, among the toughest being the J. S. McMillan and Elizabeth Apartments blazes. But the ones’ that stick with him are the relatively small house fires that ruin and even take lives.
“A fire that always remains in my memory was over in the 100 block of Third Avenue and a family lost their lives and that was a really tough one to fight,” said Martin.
“It was a miserable fire to fight but also really tough to lose some people – finding bodies, I hate that. You never ever leave that stuff behind, it always stays with you.”
Working in the same small town you were born and raised in also means responding to fires at the homes of people you know, he said.
“You can’t have the detachment you have in a big city, you may be dealing with someone that needs a hug, or to sit down and have a cup of coffee,” said Martin.
“You know their kids, you know their possessions, you know what they’re going through.
“With friends that have been through fire, you’re part of the rebuilding process that they’re struggling through to put their lives back together – that makes it hard.”
As far as what he’ll miss in the job, the Rupert product points to the camaraderie of the dedicated firefighters he’s served with.
“I don’t think the citizens of the community always realize how good a group of firefighters we have here,” he said. It’s satisfying knowing that there are people out there walking on the street today because of the actions of the firefighters I work with.
“We’ve grown up together, we’ve been through a lot of rough stuff together and it’s such a pleasure to work with people who believe in their job, who believe that they’re doing the right thing,”
While he’s got not plans as yet, Martin said he has no intention of leaving his home town in the foreseeable future and plans to be involved in his church and actively volunteer. His last day of work is Oct 27.
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