Province funds new training for Manitoba firefighters

An undated file image of a Winnipeg firefighter battling a blaze. (CTV News Winnipeg)

Thousands of firefighters in Manitoba will soon have access to a new training trailer, and will receive year-round fire rescue training closer to home.

The investment was announced Saturday by municipal and northern relations minister Glen Simard. In a news release, Simard called the move “an investment in the safety and resilience of our communities."

“This is important new training infrastructure that will ensure Manitoba firefighters have greater access to the skills and resources they need to protect themselves, their fellow firefighters and the public,” Simard said.

At this time, the province doesn’t have its own training trailer – it borrows the one from Ontario when needed, based on availability. British Columbia and Alberta are the only other provinces with their own trailers.

According to the province, the trailer will allow for more emergency training, including “disentanglement, low-profile operations and upper-floor rescues.”

Manitoba firefighters will also have access to the Fire Ground Survival program offered by the International Association of Fire Fighters. This means they’ll receive training for emergency situations such as becoming lost, disoriented, injured or trapped, through a specially-equipped mobile simulation trailer.

“The investment in fire protection with this trailer and commitment to the safety of Manitoba firefighters goes a long way to ensure firefighters throughout the province are better equipped to handle dangerous situations they may encounter,” Kelvin Toews, the president of the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs, said in the release.

The trailer training program will be open to firefighters across the province.

CTV News reached out to the provincial government for more details.