More than 200 fire chiefs from across the province were in Yorkton last week for the Annual Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs convention themed "Continuing to Excel."
The conference kicked off with a board of director's meeting Wednesday evening and educational sessions addressing public education, fire inspections and industrial fire fighting on Thursday.
On Friday, Provincial Fire Commissioner Duane McKay addressed the troops with an overview entitled, "State of Emergency Medical and Fire Services in the Province of Saskatchewan."
He praised the province for being ahead of the curve compared to other jurisdictions, but outlined where improvements could be made and what the province was doing in that respect, particularly in preparedness for response to major disasters such as the 2011 flooding.
Yorkton Chief Dean Clark, who is also the president of the chiefs' association, said he is very satisfied with the progress Saskatchewan is making pointing out that Steve Gamble, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs is very impressed with what Saskatchewan's records management and 911 system.
"Canada is watching, which is very good to hear," he said.
Clark said from preliminary feedback, the conference was very well received.
"The trade show was a big success and they were very happy with the speakers," he said.
Another highlight was the bear pit session Saturday, Clark added. Members had the opportunity to give input and ask questions, particularly about training, which is always an ongoing concern for the membership.
Other highlights included the keynote speech on achieving excellence by Yorkton's Dave Rodney, an Alberta MLA and the only Canadian to summit Mount Everest twice.
A standard part of the chiefs' conference is a parallel schedule for their companions. On Friday, the companions broke off for a hands-on tour of Parkland College's emergency services training centre in Melville.
McKay was impressed by Yorkton's hospitality.
"Yorkton has a reputation for putting on a great conference," he said Friday. "This has been a tremendous success so far and we're excited to be part of it.
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