New partnership aims to bring advanced firefighting classes to Yorkton
A new partnership promises to bring advanced, innovative and top-tier instructional classes to Yorkton’s Parkland College in the field of professional firefighting.
The college is partnering with the Saskatchewan Safety Council to teach and facilitate its classes, which will be housed and operated by Parkland College. It is expected to welcome its first fleet for the new program at some point in 2023.
“We’re trying to make it easily accessible for anybody in the province,” said the Safety Council’s Occupational Safety Specialist, Reagan Coppicus.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of people heading south of the border to try to get accredited training. Well, you know what? We can do that right here in Saskatchewan, right close to home, and you don’t need to break the bank trying to find a condo in Southern California, where you can actually do it right here in Saskatchewan.”
Parkland College has housed firefighting courses since 2008. Since then, over 1,000 individual classes have been taught to professional firefighter hopefuls.
Students learn both at the Parkland College campus in Yorkton, along with a specialized training site just outside of Melville.
This partnership will allow them to continue top tier teachings to those who move to the parkland, or those existing already in the community.
Connie Brown is the Manager of Business Development at Parkland College, and she said the college has offered both professional and industrial firefighter training.
“Because of the emerging needs for this specialized training, which requires specialized instructors and equipment. it just makes sense to work together and be able to achieve more by pooling resources, and working together,” Brown said.
The existing program at Parkland College is 14 weeks in length, with students attending a full-time course load.
Eighteen different groups have gone through the existing training, graduating throughout the program’s 14 years of operation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.