SGI providing $5.6 million to volunteer firefighter departments in Saskatchewan for training, equipment

April 19, Sask. – SGI is investing $5.6 million to train and equip volunteer firefighters who respond to vehicle collisions on Saskatchewan roads.

The money will be used for a program that will be the first of its kind in Canada.  The program’s objectives are:

• To fund the delivery of training courses that allow volunteer firefighters to meet minimum standards for auto extrication; and
• Purchasing tools and equipment that support that training.

“This is excellent news for the nearly 300 volunteer firefighting agencies in Saskatchewan,” Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters Association president Doug Lapchuk said in a press release. “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.”

The fund will be managed and distributed by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), who will consult with SGI, the Provincial Standards Training Committee, fire service stakeholders and other Government of Saskatchewan ministries during program development.

The SPSA will work with the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs and other stakeholders to develop auto extrication training standards and establish a fair and equitable process for purchasing tools and equipment.