By Nolan Madden The Holbrook Volunteer Fire Department hopes to bolster public safety with an open invitation to train new firefighters to join its team. The department is organized into three companies throughout the city and covers the area south from 14-mile hill north to the reservation line, and from Perkins Valley Road east to the Petrified Forest. “Volunteerism is down everywhere in the country. We used to have a board of 36 people. Right now we have 19 firepersons; because of our current Facebook campaign, we’ve received six new applicants so far,” noted HVFD Chief Cary Simpson. “There is no age limit, but applicants must be over 18. In the past, we have had high school students who were enrolled in the Fire Science Firefighter Training program at NPC. One of our newer applicants is going through that program now,” Simpson explained. HVFD enrolls initial trainees in its Red Shirt program, where students are not authorized to fight a fire, but can participate in meetings and training sessions to develop their skills. Applicants are screened and trained during a probationary period of six months before being assigned to the department’s auxiliary crew, where each fireperson receives six months of additional training in gear fitment, rescue equipment operation and safety. Simpson’s crew recently collaborated for combined training with the Joseph City and Sun Valley fire departments, teaming new trainees with veteran fighters and providing simulated fire emergency scenarios for them to practice in. Extensive time is also devoted to running equipment tests during non-emergency periods. All trainees must complete and pass course instruction to receive firefighter certification, which the city pays for in full through the NPC training program. “It’s a really good opportunity for citizens to give back to their community, and also learn something new,” said Simpson. The department’s crew is a diverse one, and not limited to male firefighters. “We have one female applicant right now who has begun training. We’re happy to receive applications from anyone who would qualify,” said the chief. Simpson noted that trainees who form a familial attachment to the crew and city generally tend to develop long careers on the fire response team. “I first joined the crew in 1998. I’m a second-generation fireman; my dad was also a fireman. We have a few crewmen whose sons are also with the department, so it’s really a family affair. We take care of each other and try to help one another out whenever it’s needed,” he said. “If they stay long enough, then they feel part of the brotherhood. We’ve had two gentlemen who stayed on the crew for 40 years,” he said, relating that two current crewmembers have served for 17 and 23 years, respectively. HVFD offers a retirement plan to its firefighters, who vest their tenure at 20 years. The department also makes benevolent efforts to help families recover after a tragic fire has been extinguished. “We recently started a benefit fund for the LeFevre family in Woodruff, who lost their home in a fire. They had insurance, but they lost everything. We got the schools and the county involved, and we’ve already raised $2,500 for the family,” Simpson added. On Monday, Dec. 21, the HVFD will host a Fill the Theater benefit event for the Lefevre family at Holbrook’s Roxy Theater, with the goal of selling tickets to fill all of the theater’s 297 seats. HVFD challenge coin medallions will be on sale, and a portion of the concessions proceeds during the 6 p.m. screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens will go to the Lefevre Family Benefit Fund. For volunteering and donation information, call (928) 524-3898. Lefevre Family Benefit Fund donations are being accepted at Bank of the West.