Do you have what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter?

There almost weren't enough seats for Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency's recruitment drive to find more volunteers for the King Street station in Dartmouth.

Close to 40 people turned up to the event in the Thistle room at the Dartmouth Sportsplex Saturday afternoon and many people had to stand in the back. The fire station is looking for 20 volunteers.

"We are looking for people who are interested in serving their community and continuous learning," said Beth Vangorder, volunteer firefighter program manager.

"That's one of the great things about being a modern firefighter things are always changing." 

The recruitment drive comes after Halifax regional council decided last year to open the doors to volunteer firefighters at the Lady Hammond Road and King Street stations in Halifax and Dartmouth, respectively.

Council agreed to recruit and train 40 new volunteers. Some of them will supplement the work of full-time firefighters at these two stations. The 2017 budget included $200,000 for the volunteer training.

Vangorder said the most difficult part of becoming a volunteer firefighter for many people is the physical fitness test and making the time commitment.

"It's not for the faint of heart," she said. "I think for a lot of people, first of all deciding they have the hours to commit because your pager could be going off at 2 a.m. or the middle of Thanksgiving dinner and you're going to have to go."

To apply, potential volunteers need to have a clean criminal record, a clean driving abstract and a class 5 driver's license (the most common). Volunteers also need a Grade 12 education or equivalent, they must be legally eligible to work in Canada, be more than 18 years old and must be able to communicate and understand English.

Volunteers have to take part in seven weekends of practical training and e-learning. Throughout the year volunteers spend Tuesday evenings training at the station and doing work on the trucks.

This is the first time the King Street station is looking for volunteers, Vangorder said, because up until this point there had not been a volunteer firefighter crew at that station.

She estimated there are between 460 and 470 volunteer firefighters across the municipality.

Joshua Glasgow was one of dozens of people who showed up for the information session Saturday. He's interested in becoming a full time career firefighter.

"I came here to gain information on how to go about it," he said. "I don't mind helping, I don't mind doing my part."

Matthew Yeomans saw an ad in the newspaper about the information session. He has firefighting experience from being in the military.

"I figure why not do it on the civilian side and help the community out," Yeomans said. "I would be honoured, it would be a great thing to do."

Another information session on becoming a volunteer at the King Street Fire Station will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club on Farrell Street in Dartmouth.