Volunteer firefighters getting help from Saskatchewan government

Volunteer firefighters often are among the first to respond to crashes on Saskatchewan’s roads.

On Tuesday, the provincial government announced a program — the first of its kind in Canada, according to the government — to help that group.

The province is investing $5.6 million to train volunteer firefighters to meet minimum standards for auto extrication and to buy the tools and equipment they’ll need.

“Advancements in vehicle technology have led to new materials and designs in modern automobiles,” Don Morgan, Saskatchewan’s minister responsible for SGI, said in a media release.

“Volunteer firefighters are often the first to respond to collisions on highways and rural roads, and it is essential that volunteer fire departments are kept up to date with evolving tool developments and adaptations around new car designs.”

Doug Lapchuk, the president of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters Association, said the program will greatly help the nearly 300 volunteer fire departments in the province.

“This program will greatly enhance our abilities to safely and adequately respond to motor vehicle collisions involving entrapment, in far more areas of our province that currently may not have extrication services available in a timely manner,” Lapchuk said.

The fund is to be managed by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, in consultation with SGI, the Provincial Standards Training Committee, the Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs and other stakeholders.