Once he was bitten by the firefighter bug, he jumped in with both feet and never looked back.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we sat down with Chris King, 49, a firefighter with Collingwood Fire.
Q: Can you give me a little background on you?
A: I am born and raised in Collingwood, I’ve lived here all my life. I moved away for a short stint to Elliot Lake, where I met my wife.
Before I became a firefighter, I was a heating contractor. I had my own little business.
My parents came to Collingwood in the early 1960s from Scotland. My dad worked at Canadian Mist (Distillery) for over 40 years. They moved here with a couple of hundred bucks in their pocket and built a life.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a firefighter down the road?
A: Nope. I never even thought of being a firefighter. I did a co-op right out of high school with contractors, and I started a plumbing apprenticeship. I did that, and it emerged into heating and started working for Consumers Gas as a contractor in Collingwood. I moved away for a little while, like I said, and when I came back I started my own business.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to make the jump (to be a firefigher)?
A: When I came back from Elliot Lake, this was around 2001, my best friend Dan (Thurman, deputy chief of Collingwood Fire) suggested I should try to get on as a volunteer.
I thought it would be neat. I did apply, but I didn’t get the job.
In 2010, Dan was still there and mentioned they were hiring again, so I tried again and I got a volunteer position. I started in 2010.
We went for training on Saturdays and every other Tuesday, and I really liked what we were doing. I didn’t carry a pager yet, we couldn’t go to calls until we were trained a little more.
In the fall, we got pagers. My first call was on Boxing Day, it was a fire. The more training we did, the more we got into it and the camaraderie with the guys, I just really enjoyed it.
It made me think I wanted to make a change in my career.
I decided to take some courses and get my certifications for Firefighter I and II and hazmat.
When I went to the boot camp, I was 41. I went to this boot camp with all these kids. I shouldn’t call them kids, but I think the oldest one was 30.
I was dubbed ‘The Old Guy.’ It kind of pushed me even more to do better.
I never grew up wanting to be a firefighter.
I didn’t really know anything about the fire service. But once I got in, and got the taste of it, I couldn’t get away from it.
Q: Could you tell me a little bit more about what it was specifically about the fire service that made you want to make a life change?
A: Just getting in and helping people. Every time the guys run out the door when the alarm goes off, we’re going to help someone.
Sometimes you can help. Sometimes, you can’t.
It’s great to be able to help. It’s even better in your hometown, where you can help people that you know.
Q: Have you ever been called out to a scene, to find you know the person?
A: I’ve been to goofy little calls where I know the people, nothing serious.
I have known people who have passed away in car accidents. That’s hard.
Sometimes, people with kids of certain ages, that could have been their kid. You can kind of relate to that.
That’s part of living in a town where you know people. It’s kind of scary, but it’s part of the job.
Q: Are there any calls that you’ve been a part of that stick out in your mind that really affected you?
A: One of the biggest – it was almost three years ago now – a small pick-up truck collided head on with a Greyhound bus. The driver had passed away. He was a young kid. The passenger, we cut out of the car. We got him into an ambulance and he was fine.
But the driver didn’t make it.
I can still see his face in my mind. He was totally exposed to the outside when we pulled up.
Those are the things you don’t forget.
The first few people who you do CPR on... you can picture their faces. Some make it, some don’t.
The more you do it, you kind of get used to it. It’s hard to say.
But you still remember faces and calls. That’s the sad end of it.
We’re there to help. Sometimes, it works out for us.
Q: Have there been any calls that put a smile on your face when you think about them? One where you may have been able to really help someone, or save someone?
A: We were at a fire. I was driving the truck so I ran the pump. The other guys ran upstairs. It was a bedroom fire.
I was outside and they brought two guys out of the house. They were badly burned, but they both lived.
I tended to them once they came out until the ambulance arrived.
We got a letter from them near Christmas (that year), thanking us. That was kind of a highlight, for sure.
Q: Do people keep in touch when things like that happen?
A: There are people who we’ve brought back from a heart attack and they’ll send us letters, or cookies, or stuff like that. It’s really nice.
Q: You mentioned that sometimes it can be hard when people don’t make it. What kinds of supports are in place (at Collingwood Fire)?
A: We have support groups right in the fire hall... a couple of guys from each platoon. (They’re available) if you have some issues. Obviously, the Town of Collingwood also has a program.
The fire service is different. We don’t make light of stuff, but we try to keep it light even if something bad just happened.
It’s hard to get through it sometimes, but everyone talks about it.
That’s the best thing.
We’ll all sit together after a call at dinner or something, and just talk about the call. Talking about it helps. If you keep it bottled up inside, I think that’s when you come in to problems years down the road.
There’s 24 guys in here. Everyone kind of has a different character and everyone knows everyone. So, we kind of know when someone’s got something going on. There’s always someone to ask.
Q: What does the future hold for you? Do you expect you’ll stay here?
A: I won’t leave. This is the best job in the world.
I appreciate the job. When I worked for myself before (I was) crawling under houses and chasing money.
Before, I worked for myself. Now, I get to help people everyday, and it’s amazing.
I had a lot of responsibility before, working on my own. I like coming in here and being told what to do. (laughs)
No matter what I’m told to do here, it’s a good job.
I got on late, at 43. I’ve only got 11 years left (before retirement).
With my age and the age of everyone here... after three more retirees, I’ll be the oldest guy in here.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we’ll be speaking with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way. This feature will run on CollingwoodToday every Saturday. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
