COTE FIRST NATION — Over five days at the end of July, a group of more than 50 people assembled at Cote First Nation to receive instruction on how to fight wildfires.
They are rookies and veterans, young and old, male and female, said Randy Friday, who, with his brother Ray, was instrumental in co-ordinating the week-long training session.
The trainees, in addition to coming from Cote, Keeseekoose and The Key First Nations and Kamsack, are from as far away as Prince Albert and Hudson Bay.
The Friday brothers are “crew bosses” certified by the Province of Saskatchewan to train Type 3 firefighters, and functioned as the liaisons with the other instructors helping to train the students, including Earl Cook of Hudson Bay and Dwayne McKay and Dennis Engel of the Prince Albert Grand Council.
The training began with books and indoor sessions, Randy said. Lessons included safety precautions, exposure to the various tools needed, how to handle hoses and helicopter safety, as well as a requirement to brush up on their social skills.
He said that after the five days of training, the students will be prepared to go, when called, to Prince Albert or elsewhere in the province to fight wildfires. Some of the students may decide to make firefighting a career.
Saying he has been a firefighter since he was 16 years of age, Randy said he has worked with Willie Cote, who is of an advanced age and still is an effective firefighter.
For helping to host the training session, Randy thanked the Cote Chief and Council, the Prince Albert Grand Council and Keeseekoose and The Key First Nations. He also extended his thanks to Cote Band Councillor Ramona Tourangeau, who assisted with providing the buildings for the training and Val Cote, who was essential for providing supplies and camping equipment.
The cooks who prepared and served the meals during the training session were led by Margaret Cote and April Cote. Randy said he is endeavouring to have the two cooks travel to a fire scene where their work would be much appreciated.
Further crew boss training for the leaders of Type 3 firefighters is planned for the fall, he said.
A portion of the 50 people involved in a training session to fight wildfires at Cote First Nation assembled with tools in hand for a group photo.| Photo by William Koreluik
Among the instruction provided for the persons training to fight wildfires was how to use a shovel to dig a trough in the soil without burnable grass and brush.| Photo by William Koreluik
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