Willem Declercq – Board Member
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Hello, My name is Willem Declercq, and I live in the beautiful municipality of Puurs, Belgium. My first introduction to Fire Observers vzw dates back to 2011. Through a colleague who had previously participated in one of the organization’s internships, I first heard about Fire Observers. A year later, I was given the opportunity to join Patrick, Paul, and Peter on my first internship in Austin, Texas. It was also my first trip across the Atlantic and, above all, an experience that has stayed with me ever since. Not only did I learn an enormous amount about the American fire service, but I also gained valuable insights into everyday life and culture in the United States. The stories you hear and the things you see in movies and television series are very different from experiencing them firsthand. Living and working in an American fire station, spending time with the crews, being called out multiple times during the night, and eventually returning to Belgium thoroughly exhausted… For some, that might not sound like the ideal vacation, but for me it absolutely was. I immediately signed up for another internship. Unfortunately, the available spots filled up quickly, and I had to be patient. That patience paid off in 2013 when I had the opportunity to participate in Fire Observers’ very first Canadian internship in Ottawa. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to participate in and help guide several fantastic internships:
These experiences only strengthened my enthusiasm for Fire Observers. That is why I decided to run for a position on the board at the time. My primary motivation remains unchanged: to give Belgian and Dutch emergency responders the opportunity to experience a unique, educational, and unforgettable immersion within North American emergency services. A Little More About MyselfMy career in emergency services began in 2001 as a lifeguard on the Belgian coast. Five years later, in 2006, I joined the fire department of Staden in West Flanders as a volunteer firefighter. As my interest increasingly shifted toward emergency medical services, I enrolled in nursing school and later specialized as an emergency and critical care nurse. Until 2022, I worked in the Emergency Department of UZ Brussel. During my training, I also qualified as an ambulance professional and, over the years, gained extensive experience in the fire service as well as in both prehospital and hospital-based emergency care. After moving to Puurs, I had to leave Fire Zone Midwest in 2016. In 2018, I rejoined the fire service as a volunteer firefighter with Fire Zone Rivierenland, Puurs Station, where I currently serve as a volunteer sergeant. From 2022 to 2024, I worked as a firefighter nurse at Covestro, a position that perfectly combined my experience as a firefighter and emergency nurse. Since 2024, I have been working professionally as a firefighter with Emergency Services Zone Flemish Brabant East. In addition, I remain active in emergency medical services. I work as a freelance emergency nurse at Brussels Airport and serve as an instructor at PIVO, where I share my knowledge and practical experience with current and future emergency responders. The combination of firefighting, emergency medical care, and training has therefore been the common thread throughout my professional life for many years. Over the past few years, my involvement with Fire Observers has occasionally taken a less prominent role. Fortunately, there is a very good reason for that: I became the father of a son in 2017 and of a daughter in 2020. Since then, a large part of my free time has naturally been devoted to my family. Nevertheless, my enthusiasm for Fire Observers and North American emergency services has never faded. Whenever I still have some free time left, I enjoy cycling, traveling, and discovering new places, preferably nowadays together with my family. |
