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The Huron Expositor • February 7, 2007 Page 3
News
Jim Sills, Tom Phillips have combined 80 years'
experience as Seaforth volunteer firefighters
Susan H6ndertma!rk
They grew up around the corner
from each other, went to school
together and followed the firetruck
as boys on their bikes together.
And, between them, they now
have a combined 80 years' experi-
ence on the Seaforth fire depart-.
ment.
Jim Sills received his 40 -year bar
and Tom Phillips received his 35 -
year bar at the recent annual ban-
quet of the Seaforth firefighters.
But, their actual start dates of
February, 1966 and August, 1968
bring them up to 41 and 39 years of
experience each.
"We're from an era where we took
over from our fathers when they
retired," says Phillips.
Firefighting is in the blood for
both the Sills' and the Phillips' fam-
ilies.
Sills' great-grandfather George A.
was a charter member of the
Seaforth fire department when it
began in 1875, his grandfather
Frank Sr. was on the fire depart-
ment for at least 35 years, his dad
Frank Jr. was a firefighter for 23
years and his uncle Der was on the
fire department for over 30 years.
"Whenever our family got togeth-
er, it was let's make sure we can get
our cars out on the road so we can
get out if the fire whistle goes," says
Sills.
Phillips' father Tony
Tom Phillips, at left,
year bar from Huron
firefighters.
receives his 35 -year bar and Jim Sills, at right, receives his 40-
East Fre Chief Marty Bedard at a recent banquet for Seaforth
Jack Scott discovered a firefighter
had to be 19 to be covered by work-
er's compensation.
The next time the fire department
had an opening, Sills was 20 and
finishing up high school, about to
begin working at the family hard-
ware store.
Phillips joined the fire depart-
ment two years later.
"It's a family tradition with a lot
of families. I don't know
how many father and
and uncles Angelo son combinations there
have been - four at
least," points out Sills,
adding he's worked
with four generations
of the Scott, Fry and
Brown family.
Neither Sills nor
Phillips have children
on the Seaforth fire
department but Sills'
son Tim spent some
time fighting forest fires
in Northern Ontario.
While they've both attended too
many fires to count, Sills says one
of the bigger fires he remembers is
the time the Wright and Leyburn
Transport building burned down
across the street from his dad's
home on Goderich Street.
"It was a huge barn, fully
engulfed and it burned down with
all kinds of trucks in it. The flames
were coming across the street
towards our own house. My dad was
out with the garden hose wetting
down our roof," he remembers.
Phillips remembers the same call,
adding that since it happened dur-
ing the days before each truck had
its own radio, the department's two
Phillips and Angus
McLean were also fire-
fighters.
"If our dads took off
for a fire, we took off
after them too," says
Phillips, remembering
the day when the fire
hall was located at
• Seaforth's town hall,
with trucks leaving \
first onto Main Street
`If our dads
took off for a
fire, we took off
after them
Tom Phillips
Phillips
and later out the back before the
current fire hall was built.
From following the trucks to offer-
ing their help at the scene, the two
say they've always wanted to be vol-
unteer firefighters.
"That's how they (firefighters)
knew you were interested - you
hung around and would ask to help
out," says Phillips.
"We helped to roll up the hose. We
got an early education of the dos
and don'ts at a fire scene by.observ-
ing what was done," remembers
Sills.
Sills says his first foray into fire-
fighting happened during the sum-
mer he was 17. But, the first time
was short-lived when then -chief
trucks went first towards the homes
of the two residents in town with
the last name Wright.
"I sat on the back of the truck
looking to the east and thought the
sun was coming up early. That's
when I realized the fire wasn't at a
house but at the business," he says.
"It was a huge wood structure and
it went down quick," says Phillips.
Other memorable fires include
fires on Main Street, such as the
time- the building where the
Seaforth bake shop and Tucker's
Meats are now located was gutted
during the early 80s and the time
three stores were burned down in
the late 90s where Dundee
Investors is now located.
"We're fortunate our Main Street
buildings are mostly brick because
that helps to contain any fires,"
says Sills.
The two say improvements to fire
vehicles and equipment make the
fire department much more success-
ful at rural fires today than when
they started.
"When I started, we had two
trucks and you went to a rural fire
with 600 gallons of water," says
Sills.
"You sized up the (barn) fire and if
you couldn't put it out, you concen-
trated on saving the other build-
ings. Now we can leave the hall
with 4,200 gallons of water and two
tankers so we can put up a bigger
fight," he says.
Along with fires, a major part of
the job as a volunteer firefighter
has been responding to motor vehi-
cle accidents.
"You are always worried that
someone you know will be out
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