Nipawin firefighters take part in first of its kind training session

“I picked two of my experienced guys so they can share some of the stuff that they learned, above and beyond what they learned in previous years.”

Each firefighter was given the chance to take part in simulated real life experiences and try equipment being provided by different companies.

Cockell explained his firefighters have undergone basic vehicle extrication training, but nothing to this extent.

“We have a compound where we actually have cars that have been donated by the local tow company here where we can do very similar type of training but just not on such a grand scale,” he said.

Nipawin’s 30 volunteer firefighters take part in two training sessions every month. This includes vehicle extrication and all other aspects of being a firefighter.

Cockell is hoping to send more members to future training sessions but understands it may be hard to find available spots. There are nearly 300 volunteer firefighting agencies across the province.

“We don’t want to take away the opportunity from another department, but if an opportunity does arrive then we’ll absolutely be in on that,” he added.

This session was funded by Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) who announced in 2022 they were providing $5.6 million to help train and equip volunteer firefighters who respond to vehicle collisions. They claim this is a first-of-its-kind program in Canada.

While SGI funded the program, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) were the ones to coordinate this specific session.

Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

Nipawin firefighters take part in first of its kind training session

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