SGI says it is investing $5.6 million to train and equip volunteer firefighters who respond to vehicle collisions in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Government Insurance says the money is being used for a program that is the first of its kind in Canada.

The dollars will help fund the delivery of training courses that allow volunteer firefighters to meet minimum standards for auto extrication and will allow those volunteer fire departments to purchase tools and equipment that support that training.

There are nearly 300 volunteer firefighting agencies in Saskatchewan and the province’s Volunteer Firefighters Association President Doug Lapchuk says, “This program will greatly enhance our abilities to safely and adequately respond to motor vehicle collisions involving entrapment, in far more areas of our province that currently may not have extrication services available in a timely manner.”
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The SPSA will work with the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs and other stakeholders to develop auto extrication training standards and establish a fair and equitable process for purchasing tools and equipment.