Rural firefighters from all over the province were in Swift Current learning how to serve their communities better.

Over 250 firefighters took part in 18 different classes that were offered at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School, the City Fire Department's training grounds, and other locations in Swift Current.

Louis Cherpin, the fire chief for the RM of the Swift Current Fire Department, said that overall, the school went great as they had top-notch instructors, and everyone walked away happy, excited, and a little bit more knowledgeable. 

"Some of the things I was excited about was the first time we ever offered low angle slope rescue. We had a couple of our top-notch instructors design a class around low-angle rescue, and they presented it very well. From the feedback we got, this class is going to be offered again in April in Humboldt at the next school," he said. "The other highlight is we did some hazmat awareness classes. Also, we brought in some of the top Canadian instructors for the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire service CISM (critical incident stress management) team support. There were some first times for that and having some of the best instructors in Canada to instruct, and that was phenomenal."

Cherpin said that the school is so important because it allows smaller fire departments to be trained.

"In Saskatchewan, many small-time fire departments can not bring these resources to their communities. The smaller towns can't afford to bring in these top-notch instructors and hosting this school they send two or three, or four people to these schools and then with that they go home and teach this stuff to their peers on their department. It's a win-win for the community they serve and protect, so that is the important part."

He added that overall, the purpose of the school was for firefighters to pass down the knowledge they learned so they can better protect their communities, something Cherpin believes they achieve.