SANDPOINT — Calling all interested firefighters. Selkirk Fire Rescue & EMS wants to talk to you.

The department has launched a recruitment drive for volunteer and resident firefighters to add to its current roster. Registration for agility testing and interviews begins today and runs through March 18. Tests will be conducted March 21.

The volunteer and resident firefighters supplement career crews during large incidents, whether it’s a big fire, a big rescue call, or highway accident when more hands are needed on scene or to staff the station because all hands are needed to deal with an incident, said Clint Frank.

Volunteers are also asked to help with community events, from local food drives or fundraisers to fire prevention programs at local schools and more.

Frank, who is spearheading the recruitment drive with Zach Ukich, said serving as a volunteer or resident firefighters is a chance to gain training, serve the community and enjoy the camaraderie of working together as a team.

“We’re one group, one team,” Ukich said.

The first part of the recruitment process involves a physical agility test — the same test that all firefighters when they come on as a career take, Frank said.

“It’s a job not only where you have to think quickly on your feet but you also have to be physically able to do the work,” he said. “The easiest way to figure that out is to do the physical agility test first and either you pass it or you fail it. So it’s physically demanding but also sets a standard that everyone’s already passed here and that’s our standard so we want to make sure we hold to those standards.”

Selkirk Fire is a combination department, meaning it has both career and volunteer firefighters on staff. The department currently has 24 career members and about 15 volunteers to cover the 192-square-mile district, which runs from Careywood north to encompass Sandpoint and west to just shy of Priest River.

“We’re just trying to use the tax dollars as wisely as we can and that’s why we’ll always be a combination department where we’ll have some career staff but we need to be supplemented by volunteers and residents to provide the best service we can,” said Frank.

The pair hope to bring volunteer numbers to about 20. Volunteers are expected to train with the department, be able to be involved in community fundraiser events, and provide callback when there are larger scale incidents so we have proper staffing at all stations and proper personnel on scene.

“So we’re a little low and that’s kind of a common problem across the U.S.,” Frank said. “It’s just hard because there’s some time involved, basically training requirements, and callback requirements and we obviously understand that these volunteers are going to have other obligations, work obligations, family obligations.”

While the department has had more volunteers in the past, that didn’t translate into a lot of involvement.

“Our goal has been more focus, get 20 good recruits and volunteers that can go ahead and provide good service to the community and the crews can trust,” he added.

The fire department holds two trainings a month, and volunteers are expected to attend 75% of those held over the course of the year. However, volunteers receive $15 per hour for all trainings and callbacks. “It’s a small stipend but it pays for their gas and again engages their interest level.”

The department also has a resident firefighter segment, where individuals receive basically a free room and board in return for a commitment of working for the department when they’re available on shift.

“It’s been a really great thing to improve our response times and provide additional engines on scene when we have a structure fire, when we have a highway accident or when we have a rescue call,” Frank said.

Frank said the department would like to get its resident firefighter numbers up to six at the Dover station. There is also the potential down the road, if additional money is allocated to the program, that resident firefighters could be added to the new Wrenco station recently opened by Selkirk and set to be staffed around April 1.

The position is available for anyone over the age of 18. Physical agility will be the first part of the test, and then on the same day, March 21, if individuals pass the physical, they go right to an interview to see if they’re going to be a good fit in working with the department, Frank said.

The recruitment drive begins today, March 1, and runs through March 18. All interested must register by March 18 to take part in the agility tests and interviews, which will be held Saturday, March 21, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Selkirk Fire Rescue & EMS’s Station 1, 1123 Lake St.

To register, go online to selkirkfire.com. For questions, call 208-263-3502.

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.