Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services recruits halfway through training
Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services' newest set of recruits are halfway through their training, preparing for their future careers.
They were out on the training grounds Thursday, learning some essential skills they'll need on the job.
"Right now, they're working on entanglements, because sometimes, unfortunately, they might get stuck in a situation where they're tangled up in wires, so they're learning how to address that problem," said the fire training officer Mark Matheson.
"In addition, sometimes if you get trapped in an upper story you might have to bail out of a window, so they're practicing what the procedures are with that."
The class is made up of nine recruits, some travelling from far away to learn.
"I came up from New Brunswick for the wildfires, working in Peace River, Alta., and that's when I noticed the posting here," said Mitch Cormier, one of the recruits.
"I heard a lot of great things about the department so I decided to apply and luck came my way and I got hired, so I’m glad to be here."
The recruits have only been working together the past five weeks, but say they've already built some incredible bonds with their classmates.
"It's been really cool," said another recruit, Tim Carroll.
"At work and outside of work, we're vibing and our lead instructor tells us every few days that people keep asking how our class is and he says it's a great class."
Lethbridge Fire and Emergency services say they've had to increase their recruiting efforts to help keep up with the demand they're seeing and help fill a void in staffing.
"The recruit program is very unique, since I've been here anyway, that we're running more than one recruit class, two a year usually is what we're hitting now." said Matheson.
"It's almost continuous recruiting and training to keep up with the demands."
Graduation for the recruits is set for later this year officials are already accepting applications for their next intake of recruits with training planned for the spring.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.