Reading about something in a book is never the same thing as doing it, a fact six volunteer firefighters from Jasper recently discovered as they entered a 1,300-degree room filled with black smoke.
The training exercise was part of a series of emergency scenarios the volunteers completed over the past six months to become certified as level 1 firefighters with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
The qualification means that Beau Michaud, Bennett Young, J.J. Keogan, Kim Stark, Krista Minar and Pete Cherniawsky now hold the same qualifications as professional firefighters and are able to fight fires inside burning buildings.
Without this designation, a firefighter is limited to exterior and vehicle fires.
Assistant fire chief and lead instructor Amy West, said she was pleased with how well the group did considering the course is more commonly delivered in a classroom setting over the course of eight to 10 months.
“I’m definitely pleased with what we accomplished in the last six months, getting those people trained to basically professional firefighter qualifications,” West said. “It is my goal to have all of us to that point at some time.”
Stark, a local business owner, has been a volunteer firefighter for three years and she has already noticed an improvement in how Jasper firefighters respond in an emergency.
“The biggest shock was the disorientation of heading into a building filled with smoke and having to define where there is a doorway,” she said. “It’s about 1,300 degrees in there and you’re carrying 50 pounds of gear.
“I just feel more confident going out on calls.”
Milnar, a Jasper-based personal trainer, has a family history of public service, including RCMP members and paramedics. She said she waited a long time until she was ready to give firefighting her all before she volunteered, and that completing the training fit with how she approaches the discipline.
“As a firefighter you’re a jack of all trades and have to be pretty diligent about learning a lot of things,” she said. “It appeals to my need to understand how things work.”
All three volunteers interviewed by the Fitzhugh placed a major share of the credit for their accomplishment at the feet of West, who arrived in January.
“The only way I passed that is because of how much work and effort she put into it,” Minar said. “She really wanted us to be competent firefighters, not just pass the course. She really busted her butt. We didn’t have this kind of program before she got here.”
Young said it felt “great” to be done after putting in countless hours, adding that West put in “10 times” the amount of time and effort into training them.
“It sets everything in perspective about how badly you want it,” he said. “If you set your mind to it, you can achieve amazing things.”
He added Lt. Gord Hutton helped out with some of the practical training at Hinton’s facility.
There are 37 volunteer firefighters and three full-time professionals on the Jasper brigade, including West, deputy fire chief Don Smith and fire chief Greg Van Tighem. Training has been an emphasis for West since she joined the team at the start of the year.
“The commitment they take on is not just to better themselves as firefighters, it’s to benefit the department,” West said. “Having six more people at a department this size complete the training is huge for Jasper.”
Craig Gilbert
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