“It’s a long drive to the office – it takes me about three minutes,” jokes Don Luckett.
By Connie Adair Photos by Jennifer Armstrong
Don Luckett is a real estate agent and a volunteer firefighter, two professions that seem worlds apart, but really aren’t that different.
“There are a lot of similarities,” says Luckett, who is managing broker for Coast Realty Group’s Denman and Hornby islands real estate offices in B.C., and the Denman Island Volunteer Fire Department’s chief. “Firefighters deal with people who may be anxious and under tremendous anxiety but when they see our equipment and uniform, they know we know what we’re doing and it relieves some of their stress. In real estate, we’re helping people buy their single largest asset and that’s bound to cause anxiety. When we act in a professional manner, we relieve stress.”
Although one career is business and the other volunteer, they share a similar aspect. They appeal to those who have a sincere desire to help people, he says. “I like people, I like helping people and our company slogan for Coast Realty Group – ‘People. Above all’ – expresses that sentiment perfectly,” he says.
Luckett and his wife, Chris, have visited the island since the early 1980s. “Her parents had a property that we used for recreational purposes. We always knew that someday we would make the move and in September 1991, we sold our house in Vancouver and moved to Denman Island,” Luckett says.
Denman Island is about an hour north of Nanaimo and has a year-round population of about 1,200. Denman and Hornby are fragile ecologically sensitive areas with a slower-paced approach to living and a strong sense of community, Luckett’s website says.
Real estate on Denman appeals to second-time buyers and retirees, for residential and recreational purposes. “It’s an island for retirees. We have the infrastructure, a medical clinic with three doctors and a large arts community. You can get a physician here. And you can’t beat the fire department,” he laughs.
The Lucketts bought an approximately 4,000-square-foot home on 11 acres with a four-stall barn, a riding ring, a hay storage barn and a small log cabin, the perfect equestrian facility. “Our property is one of the only properties on Denman Island zoned for an equestrian facility.”
Don Luckett enjoys the adrenaline rush of a motorcycle ride. His 14-year-old rescue dog, a 70-pound greyhound named Chess was a race dog named High Noon Heat. He is now a real estate dog.
For several years, the couple concentrated on the horse farm. About 17 years ago Luckett joined the fire department as a firefighter. He was initially drawn by the promise of an adrenaline rush, something he missed after 15 years as a stock broker. However that soon changed to a love for a volunteer career that would give him a chance to help people.
In 1994 he got his real estate license, again drawn by a chance to help people. Luckett shares the Denman Island office with partner Sylvie Schroeder, each covering for the other so clients are never without a real estate professional.
Educating the urban buyer to new systems in rural areas, such as wells and residential septic systems, has been his biggest challenge, says Luckett. “We tend to double-end a lot of sales, so limited dual agency is always a challenge.”
Coast Realty Group’s two offices (two agents on Denman and one on Hornby) racked up sales of approximately $11-million in 2010. “If a house is priced properly, we usually quote a selling period of three to six months, much longer than an urban setting.”
Prices range from $250,000 to $2-million, with an average range of $300,000 to $600,000, he says.
If being a full-time Realtor and a fire chief isn’t enough, he is also a local assistant for the fire commissioner’s office, and fire warden. “During the summer months I have the powers of a forestry official.”
The fire department and real estate have evolved since he joined. “They’re both more professional now.”
Volunteer firefighters undergo the same training as paid personnel. Denman Island’s department has 24 firefighter volunteers and nine auxiliaries – older volunteers who don’t want full duty yet still want to contribute. Auxiliary members are responsible for transporting water to a fire, not a small task when you consider a structure fire can use more than 30,000 gallons. A tanker holds between 12,000 and 17,000 gallons, with water fetched from “known water supplies such as nearby ponds and tanks,” he says. The station has a 10,000 gallon tank.
In his role as fire chief, he works with local developments to ensure water supply is a consideration. A new development on the north side will include 5,000 and 10,000 gallon tanks.
Ten of the volunteer firefighters are licensed first responders. Of the 80 plus calls per year, about 60 per cent are medical. The island has about two structure fires a year. Many of the other calls are motor vehicle accidents.
Volunteers train one night a week for two hours and carry radios 24/7 so they can respond when needed. Calls can take from a half hour to eight hours for a major structure fire.
Being a first responder in a small community poses additional problems because there is a good chance firefighters will know the victims. “We have great debriefing and 24-hour counselling,” he says. They also look after each other to ensure there are no lasting effects from critical incidents.
Confidentiality is also important in both careers. “In small communities there are no secrets” and firefighters and agents must maintain confidentiality, he says.
Being involved in firefighting for so long, Luckett can turn a trained eye on any house and make recommendations to clients about how to keep themselves and their property safe.
Luckett plans to continue his work as a Realtor, but in three years wants to get his 20-year pin and join the fire department’s auxiliary. “It’s stressful being responsible for the safety of a large number of individuals.”
But in the meantime, he works like wildfire. It has taken 10 years, but his plan to bring a new ambulance station to the island will soon be a reality. Using his real estate skills, he arranged for the purchase of a half-lot beside the fire station and used his negotiating skills to fight an uphill battle. His persistence has paid off and the new ambulance station, adding to the benefits of life on the island, was finished in June.
