Sask. firefighter training program resumes after pandemic pause

The program to train firefighters in Saskatchewan is back up and running after a two-year hiatus.

The previous program was offered by Parkland College until it was placed on hold in 2021, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant prospective firefighters had to leave Saskatchewan for their training.

Now, provincial firefighter training is being offered in Melville through Suncrest College’s newly renamed Saskatchewan Emergency Response Institute.

Fourteen students have already begun their National Fire Protection Association training at the new institute, the provincial government said, with additional programs becoming available in the fall.

The provincial government is kicking in $1.8 million this year to support the programming, and Marlo Pritchard, head of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, said it’s money well spent.

“Firefighters play a critical role in safeguarding and protecting the people, property and resources of Saskatchewan, and our Government’s support of this program is an investment in them and their commitment to improving public safety throughout the province,” Pritchard said in a statement.

Ethan Rugg, one of the students training at the institute, said the rural location of the school is a boon to trainees like himself.

“It is good to have a school in a rural location because it prepares us for where most firefighters end up working in Saskatchewan,” Rugg said in a statement.

“The school is well-equipped to prepare us for anything you could expect from city fires to basic wildland fires.”

Alison Dubreuil, Suncrest College’s president and CEO, said the partnership with the government has allowed for upgrades to the training facility and allowed the college to bring the program back to the province.

Saskatchewan firefighters are currently battling a number of wildfires around the province, while others are helping out in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia.