Often considered a safety hazard and an eyesore, derelict buildings in rural Saskatchewan and small communities will soon be serving a new purpose.

Following a few legislative changes, fire fighters will be able to use these dilapidated buildings for training purposes as early as this fall. The provincial government’s announcement came on the opening day of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention at Saskatoon’s Prairieland Park.

President of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, Randy Golden, says when left untouched, derelict buildings prohibit redevelopment, and provide the perfect spot for rodents to live and children to get hurt, so she is excited about the pilot project.

As is President of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, Louis Cherpin. He says firefighters don’t often get the opportunity to train for structure fires, so this announcement is huge.

“A typical fire fighter only gets training when it’s live, and that’s dangerous because your adrenaline kicks in, your tunnel vision kicks in, and you’re not trained on the other aspects, like fallen rooves.”

Cherpin explains that up until now, certain laws have been hampering firefighters’ ability to train effectively.

“There are so many environmental rules in Saskatchewan. They’re good, I’m not saying it’s bad, but there are so many rules that it’s prohibitive for us to meet all those standards. With this (announcement) they’re going to loosen up the standards but still keep the environment in the forefront. They’ll allow the fire departments, with consultation from the council, to go in and train.”

He adds that the training opportunity is welcomed with open arms, but there are a few threats and challenges that come with fighting rural fires compared to urban ones.

“When we used to be allowed to do this more freely, we would go and do our size-up. We’d burn the grass around the building. We’ll look around for wells. We’ll look around for live power. Some people don’t disconnect power or disconnect gas.”

The provincial government will address regulatory or legislative changes required to support this pilot framework, and it expects the first training sessions to take place in fall of 2025.