Volunteer firefighter recognized for 45 years of service
When Roger Gostlin joined the Norland Volunteer Fire Department in January of 1980, he was looking for a way to give back to his community. Much has changed since then, but Roger’s dedication to his community has not. Gostlin was recently recognized by Kawartha Lakes for his 45 years service to his friends and neighbours, a commitment likely to continue as the Norland-area resident loves the challenge of the job and the comradery of the firehall environment.
“I wouldn’t know what to do with my spare time if I wasn’t a volunteer firefighter,” Gostlin told Kawartha Lakes Weekly in a telephone interview.
Gostlin, who has balanced a career running a family-owned sand and gravel business and being a volunteer firefighter, remembers like it was yesterday his decision to give of his free time to the local volunteer fire service.
“I have spent my entire career at the Norland firehall that opened in 1975,” Gostlin said. “When I arrived, I was issued Badge 16. We had two trucks, a 1954 International pumper truck and a 1961 GMC tanker.”
When asked what changes he has seen in his almost five decades of service, Gostlin was quick to point out that since the amalgamation of Kawartha Lakes, the training for volunteer firefighters has gotten much better, and the quality of equipment has improved significantly.
“We are no longer using somebody else’s hand-me-downs,” Gostlin said.
While equipment and training may have changed over the decades, Gostlin made it clear that the job of a volunteer firefighter has not.
“It is still the same as it ever was,” Gostlin said. “We get called to a fire and we go.”
Gostlin said that the qualities of a good volunteer firefighter also have not changed in all those years.
“We are still looking for the same kind of person,” Gostlin said. “We want someone who is dedicated, someone willing to give up their time. There are lots of good people in our hall. Many of us have become very good friends away from work.”
Gostlin said that the hall has never had a problem finding new recruits as current firefighters actively recruit from the community the Norland firehall serves.
“We encourage a lot of friends of friends to think about volunteer firefighting,” Gostlin said. “My son-in-law is a volunteer firefighter. All of my neighbours are volunteer firefighters. Six people on my road are currently volunteer firefighters.”
When asked if there was a fire that stood out in his storied career, Gostlin said that the biggest fire he ever attended was when the Head Lake Tavern, a local watering hole, burned down in the 1990s.
Gostlin suggested that media portrayals of a firefighter’s job typically get it wrong.
“I sometimes have to leave the room when those shows are on,” Gostlin said. “We do attend fires but we also do a lot of medical calls and assistance at the scene of car accidents.
“You remember every one of those accidents,” Gostlin said. “It’s a small community and informing friends and sometimes family of a tragedy is hard. There are some firefighters who really struggle with that part of the job.”
When asked how the arrival of female volunteer firefighters has impacted the Norland firehall, Gostlin was complimentary.
“They are knowledgeable and eager volunteer firefighters,” Gostlin said. “We now have five female volunteer firefighters at the Norland firehall and they are excellent.”
He had equal praise for Kawartha Lakes Fire Service Chief Terry Jones, who was at one time a volunteer firefighter himself.
“He is a great chief who understands the issues faced by volunteer firefighters,” Gostlin said.
Gostlin expects that as the population served by the Norland firehall continues to grow, that there will likely be growth in the facility itself which currently gets called out 120 times per year, with the bulk of calls coming between Victoria Day weekend and Thanksgiving.
“I still really encourage younger people to consider a career in volunteer firefighting,” Gostlin said. “It is good to give back to the community and good to be a firefighter.”
