Protective services academy to open doors for youth

Page 15

A new school set to open in Melfort later this year is geared toward helping Aboriginal youth prepare for careers in fire and emergency services.

The Saskatchewan Protective Services Academy (SPSA) will house 48 cadets at a time during a six-month training program. Graduates from the program will receive firefighter and emergency medical responder certificates. The owners' group for the academy is currently comprised of the Kinistin, Saulteaux, English River and Piapot First Nations, but there is room on the board for six more First Nations to join.

The idea for the academy, which will be run in partnership with Portage College in Alberta, grew out of a pilot program that graduated 24 cadets in Onion Lake several years ago. Mark Chayer was the First Nation's emergency services manager at the time, and is now co-ordinating development of the SPSA.

"We came up with the cadet program as a means of attracting young people into emergency services. Then we started to get phone calls from different bands asking us to hold training in their communities," Chayer said.

Instead of taking the show on the road, the decision was made to create a permanent facility for the course. With professional firefighters and emergency services personnel as instructors, the curriculum will provide cadets with the basic knowledge they need to pursue further training and/or careers in those fields.

Based on the changes he witnessed in cadets during the Onion Lake program, Chayer believes the SPSA will also instill some valuable life skills and self esteem.

"The first thing is the pride and accomplishment that comes out in them. You see the confidence levels jump. But the number one thing is the 'anything is possible' attitude when they've proven to themselves that they aren't who other people have told them they are," Chayer said.

Although the cadets' daily routine will involve marching, a physical fitness component and plenty of class time, Chayer described the training as "rigorous but fair" and said that, while the emphasis will be on the education, cadets will also have to complete 180 hours of community service-either in Melfort or back in their home communities-before they can graduate.

The school will be housed in a building that was last used as a seniors' facility. Kinistin First Nation now owns the property and offered its use to the SPSA. Chayer said that creating dorm rooms, painting and installing a new heating system will top the list of necessary renovations before the scheduled opening in September.

Saskatchewan Emergency Medical Services Association (SEMSA) recently passed a resolution in support of the SPSA and now has a representative sitting on the academy's advisory board. Chayer is encouraged by SEMSA's endorsement.

"That's a huge factor, because they're the employers, so it's important for us to have them on board. And obviously, the ambulance operators would like to see their workforce representative of the province. That's their goal, and Aboriginal recruitment has been something they've been wrestling with. They see this as a burgeoning opportunity," said Chayer. "Everybody identifies with the fact that there's a massive workforce out there in the Aboriginal community."

Because one of the SPSA's goals is to provide opportunities for at-risk youth, there was a certain level of nervousness in Melfort when news of the school broke.

"The well -being of the community is something they should be concerned about," Chayer said, "But this is a long way from being a rehab centre. That's the furthest thing from my mind. We're not looking to bring some else's gang problem here."

Chayer simply sees the SPSA as a positive alternative for youth. "We want to get to the kids before anything else does."

The cadet program won't be the only project operating out of the academy. Chayer envisions volunteer firefighters utilizing the facility and its instructors for training and developmen sessions.

Chayer said the project has received positive feedback from First Nation and provincial government leaders. He's optimistic that more First Nations will get on board with the SPSA.

"This is aimed at the youth, to provide them with opportunities and we'd invite any First Nation leadership to get in contact with us and make it a reality."