Town to hold appreciation reception for employers with employees that are also firefighters

YARMOUTH, N.S. — An appreciation reception will be held for employers whose employees are members of the Yarmouth volunteer fire department, to thank them for their support of this essential service.
Town CAO Jeff Gushue read the reception proposal to council at its July 24 committee of the whole meeting.
One of the barriers expressed around recruiting volunteers is being able to have firefighters available whenever the bell rings. There are a number of employers who are not necessarily supportive of allowing volunteer firefighters to leave the workplace.
“We’re fortunate in that the volunteers that we have are able to leave the workplace to respond to the public need, whether it’s a motor vehicle accident or a structure fire or what have you,” said Gushue.
Council’s goal is to work with the business community to help them become more aware of the importance of supporting their employees to become volunteer firefighters. One way to do that is by celebrating employers that already do. The event will act to provide an awareness opportunity. 
On a date yet to be announced, the Town of Yarmouth will hold an event during Fire Prevention Week to recognize employers and thank them for the support they give to volunteer firefighters.
The town will also work with the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce to reach out to other businesses to encourage some of their employees to consider the fire department as a way of giving back to the community. 
The reception will take place at town hall and firefighters will be asked to attend in uniform and invite their employers to come in and receive a thank you, a certificate from council, finger foods and a coffee.