More Fire Safety Trailers Making Their Way to Sask

The Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs (SAFC) is looking to bring more portable fire safety classrooms to kids in the province.

These fire safety classrooms are equipped with a 9-1-1 simulator, fire alarm system, simulated kitchen stove fire, a learning theatre, a smoke generating machine, back heated door and an escape window. The best thing about them is it all fits inside of a trailer.

This new fire trailer has been active for only a few months in Saskatchewan and has already had hundreds of guests come through at only 3 events.

"This is a mobile classroom, we have the ability to put this out to the province and share it with all the volunteer fire departments and give them the opportunity to do fire safety education in their communities," explained Shayne Lamontagne, the VP of the SAFC.

Currently Saskatchewan only has one for the entire province. That's one trailer for 12 fire zones and over 400 fire departments.

The one we have is stored in Warman and Humboldt, but the plan is to acquire 11 more trailers so each zone can have its own. Then, Saskatchewan's two largest centers, Regina and Saskatoon, would be able to have their own. One trailer costs around $55,000, but ordering more at a single time would make them cheaper to acquire.

With that many available, fire departments could easily book the trailers out to use in their own communities.

"A lot of these small departments can't afford personal protective equipment or a fire apparatus; they can definitely not afford fire education materials 

and stuff, so this will make it affordable to bring fire safety to their communities," explained the Moose Jaw Fire Department's Education Officer Cathie Bassett, who is also a member of the SAFC. "We all know that reducing risks is through education."