Virtual Firefighters needed in Essa Township

Simcoe County paramedics are dispatched along with firefighters to make sure they stay safe at scenes.

Essa’s fire department is turning to the Internet to recruit “Virtual Volunteer Firefighters”.

The public safety information campaign was created by Essa’s Fire Chief Cynthia Ross Tustin, “to help us spread the word about positive safety habits and behaviours.”

The program uses social media like Twitter to send out information and recruit local residents and groups “to make safety rules into safety habits.”

“When we know better, we do better,” she said in a news release.

Twitter, and eventually Facebook, will be part of the on-going education effort.

The chief says there are a couple of ways to get involved, like the municipal website and Twitter.

The Essa Fire Department currently has about 60 volunteer firefighters.