Firefighting training ends Friday in La Loche. (file photo/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Wildfire Management

Emergency firefighting training underway in La Loche

Jun 5, 2019 | 4:32 PM

Residents of La Loche are busy this week participating in emergency firefighting training.

“There’s usually pretty good interest in the firefighting training because it helps to provide some part-time employment for people during the summer,” Wildfire Management Spokesperson Connie Bradburn said. “There’s no guarantee of employment on the fire line after they take this training, but in any given year depending on the fire season, we might hire anywhere from 10 to 20 firefighters up to hundreds.”

The 40-hour training session is meant for individuals who have never before been trained to be firefighters. Bradburn explained those who complete the training are then classified as Type 3 and could then be called upon to assist Type 1 (Wildfire Management employees) or Type 2 (contract crews) in the event of a large or multiple fires in their area. The sessions are taking place this week until June 7 at La Loche Community Hall and the first 25 people who showed up were selected to take part.

Once individuals have taken the 40-hour training, every year they need to pass a number of requirements to become recertified. Bradburn stated they need to pass a pre-screening blood pressure test, complete a one-mile walk in 16 minutes or less, as well as understand the safety orientation. She noted everyone needs to pass some kind of minimum physical fitness standard even before they can take the training.

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“The Forest Protection Areas who have the fire crews will quite often work with their local communities and areas to see how many firefighters are available,” Bradburn said. “If they feel they need to have a few more trained, they put that call out for firefighting training just like La Loche did this week.”

There are currently four fires burning in the province as of June 5 with 117 so far in 2019. The five-year average is 177.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno