Sask. reservists arrive in Prince Albert for wildfire training

Reservists from across the province have arrived in Prince Albert to help fight the wildfires.

The group of about 70 men and women will take an eight hour course on fire fighting before heading to the front lines. 

Capt. Mitch Mercier said seeing evacuees in his hometown of Regina made him want to get involved.

“I saw a poor dad just out there with his little child in a stroller, in a parking lot in a sports centre, looking for things to do. And just, I thought, ‘if there’s anything that I can do, I’ve got to help out that guy,” he said.

Looking around as the other reservists loaded their gear onto trucks, Mercier said he was thankful for the support that has allowed him to make the trip.

“My family’s (going to be affected), their Dad’s away, and then the people at work, they’re covering for me while I’m away. So it’s really a team effort,” he said.

Master Cpl. Jenna Schatz with Moose Jaw’s Saskatchewan Dragoons said she was ready to take on any task.

“I don’t believe that we’re going to walk in and in one day solve a situation that’s being going on for a very long time,” she said. “But I think that everybody here is really happy to be able to try and contribute to a solution no matter what we’re tasked with and what we’re able to do.”

Master Cpl. Kyle Lindskog said he’s been anxious to come help since the first pictures of the disaster started hitting the news.

“I knew the call was coming, I just was waiting for it and checking in with my chain of command saying: ‘okay, when are we going?'” he said.

The reservists join about 400 members of the regular Canadian Forces helping with the firefighting efforts.

All told, about 1,200 people are fighting the fires, supplemented with about 100 aircraft including helicopters and planes. 

blevy@rawlco.com

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