John Callahan (left) receives his pin from Fire Chief Mike McGrath.

Rescuing a 12-year-old boy injured in a cliff diving accident and administering oxygen to a senior citizen in distress are all in a day’s work for John Callahan, who donates more than 200 hours per year as a volunteer firefighter. The satisfaction that comes from protecting lives and property has compelled this Realtor from Sutton Group – Capital Realty in St. John’s, Nfld. to respond to hundreds of emergency calls involving structural fires as well as motor vehicle accidents and medical emergencies.  Recently Callahan received his 10-year pin at the Fireman’s Ball.

With his flexible schedule as a Realtor with a home office, he can respond to calls during business hours.  “I’m about three minutes from the fire station.  We gear up in less than two minutes.  If we muster the minimum number of people, we can respond to the call, otherwise we have an agreement with the full-time crew at the St. John’s fire department that they will roll.”

Callahan estimates that 96 to 97 per cent of the communities in Newfoundland and Labrador rely on volunteer fire departments, compared to the national average of 60 per cent.