Teams all fired up for games

Page 7

On Aug. 22, High Level was transformed from a quiet northern Alberta town into what looked more like the film set for the movie Backdraft.

High Level played host to the First Nations Firefighters Competition and the five competing Aboriginal teams from across the province.

First Nation teams competed in five specialized events to determine which team would represent Alberta at the national competition.

The teams, comprised of six members each, raced against the clock and each other in events which tested their knowledge of the job and their own strength and determination.

With the clock ticking, members climbed into their bunker gear and donned their breathing aparatus before jumping into a variety of events which included a hose laying competition, fire hose target practice, ladder climbing, a water bucket relay and an obstacle course.

When the smoke had cleared - or more appropriatly, when the water had all dried up - the team with the best times and least penalties was the gang from Saddle Lake First Nation. Putting in a runner-up performance was the Ermineskin/Louis Bull First Nations team, followed by the team from the Blood Reserve, then Meander River, and in fifth place was the Sucker Creek First Nation fire department.

Organized by the North Peace Tribal Council, the High Level games were a big success, said Mark Andrews, fire safety officer with the tribal council.

He said the competition is an annual test for firefighters to gain experience and knowledge.

As teams improve, they fair better in regional, provincial and the national competitions.

"The goal for each stage is that the teams get better and better as they go," said Andrews.

Tom Littlechild, the director for the Treaty First Nations Firefighter Association said the event is a great learning experience.

In the eight years the competition has been held, Littlechild said it has grown from a loosely-structured fun-filled outing for fire department members into something more substantial.

"It's evolved to where its a skills-oriented competition," he said. "They're still having fun, but they are also applying what they have learned (at their home bases)," he said.

Of the 43 First Nations in the province, Littlechild said approximately 75 per cent have their own fire department.

Enrolment numbers are on the rise at most fire brigades, and Littlechild said anyone interested in joining should contact either their local fire chief or a tribal safety officer.

Littlechild was very pleased with the work done by this year's provincial winners, and said the Saddle Lake team had their act together at the competition.

"They were just putting their stuff together right, with no screw-up," he said, then adding with a laugh that youth may also have been on their side. "And they were young."

From the High Level games, the Saddle Lake crew went to the national competitions in Manitoba where they came away with a third place medal.

Fire Prevention Week

is from October 4 to 10

o Across Alberta during Fire Prevention Week, fire officials will be visiting First Nations students at First Nations schools talking about the annual Fire Prevention Poster Contest.

Winners will be picked from kindergarden to Grade 12 from each school, then selected from each treaty area, and then provincially.

The provincial winner will compete with First Nation children from across Canada at the nationals held later this year.

The final winner will receive $500 and have their poster used for national promotions.