Shuswap firefighter reaches certification milestone, has no plans of slowing down at 78

Photo: Contributed

He's 78 years old, but there's no stopping firefighter Mike Thoms.

Thoms is the 150th firefighter in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District to receive provincial certification, a goal set out by the district at the start of 2020 for its 13 fire departments across the region.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, training opportunities were temporarily shut down, putting the goal in doubt.

But, late in December, on the last day of the challenge, Swansea Point firefighter Mike Thoms completed his certification, becoming the 150th CSRD firefighter to reach the standard.

Thoms has been a firefighter for 13 years, since retiring to the Shuswap. But This retirement isn't about kicking back and relaxing at the beach.

"We made a new home here, and I wanted to give something back. No use just sitting around wasting my time. If the fire department figured I was good enough for them at my age, then why not become a firefighter?" he quipped.

Thoms worked his way slowly through the courses, including the physically challenging live fire exterior training module.

"I'm still in a daze that I'm a certified firefighter. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I could do something like that," he said. "I'm so proud to have had the opportunity and to have people who encouraged me that I could do this."

Thoms' pioneered the role of the rehab officer at the CSRD, monitoring the health and safety of firefighters when they are battling blazes. He worked with Sicamous paramedics to be trained in monitoring vital signs and blood pressure, and has gone on to help train rehab officers for other CSRD departments.

"I love what I do, so until I get really old, I'm not going to stop," he said. "As long as I'm capable, I will keep going."

All CSRD fire departments are recruiting paid on-call firefighters and welcome inquiries at 250-833-5955 or www.csrd.bc.ca/FirefighterRecruiting.