After 40 years, love of firefighting still burns bright

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This article was published 10/01/2019 (2714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kevin Hickman’s love of firefighting began as a young boy growing up in Birtle.

Forty years later, that love has not been extinguished.

“It’s been a positive experience for me,” Hickman, the chief of the local fire department, said in an interview late last month.

“I’ve enjoyed it, and it’s just me. It’s part of my life.”

Hickman and two others with the volunteer fire department were recognized by the Prairie View Municipality for their service to the community at the annual Birtle Volunteer Appreciation Night & Family Dance Nov. 17.

Chris Iverson was recognized for 15 years of service to the department, while Jason Salmon received the nod for five years’ service.

“Nobody joins up to be looking for recognition,” Hickman said. “That’s not why we’re there, but it’s certainly nice to receive that.

“It’s something I like to do and, obviously, it’s nice to be appreciated by the municipality, and I thank them for that,” Hickman said.

In his other life, Hickman, who turns 61 this month, worked for the Department of Highways. He retired in 2013 after more than 35 years.

Hickman joined the Birtle Fire Department in 1978, when he was 20 years old. He was elected deputy fire chief in 1985, taking the job of fire chief in 1998.

He is also co-ordinator for the West Central Mutual Aid District, a co-operative organization of nine departments who share resources when needed.

Firefighting is a long-standing tradition in the Hickman family.

Hickman’s brother, Brian, retired from the department a year ago, also after serving the department for 40 years, while Brian’s wife, Roberta, spent 30 years as a firefighter.

One of Hickman’s other brothers also spent some time with the fire department, while one of Hickman’s sons, Dustin, worked with the department for two years as a student before heading out west to fight forest fires for another two years.

Hickman’s own love of firefighting was ignited as a young boy.

His parents ran the local Esso service station, where they manned one of the town’s fire phones.

He remembers his mother answering calls and sounding the alarm.

“You’d see the guys running to the firehall, then you’d see the trucks going out of town with their lights and sirens going,” Hickman recalls. “You stand and watch, and you never expect that one day you will be doing the very same thing for the community.”

Hickman has attended hundreds of fire calls over the years, but the one that stays with him the most happened one summer several years ago, when they were called to a single-vehicle rollover.

The fire crew was the first on the scene, and when they arrived they discovered a man and a boy of nine or 10 trapped under the roof of the overturned vehicle.

The man was dead, but they knew they had to get the boy out.

“The problem was, the vehicle was on the back slope of the ditch,” said Hickman, “so every time we tried to lift the vehicle, it wanted to slide.”

They had to bring in additional equipment to hold the vehicle in place while they lifted it and got the boy to safety.

“He spent the night in the Birtle hospital and he was released the next day,” he said. “We got him out of there alive and unhurt.”

He added: “It’s kind of a bittersweet story, but at the same time it was a success for all of our people.”

Hickman said while the number of volunteers in the department has remained steady at about 20, the equipment they use has changed dramatically.

It has gone from a 1949 Maple Leaf fire truck and a 1963 Fargo fire truck when he started to a fully equipped rescue vehicle, two full pumpers and a quick response vehicle along with enough fire gear for everyone.

Hickman said he plans to stick around and make good use of them.

“I’m healthy. I feel good with what I’m doing,” he said. “I still like what I’m doing and I’m prepared to stay for awhile yet.”

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