It’s going to be a weekend of fire safety and training at Sunshine Valley.
Taking place Friday (May 3) to Sunday (May 5), the Sunshine Valley Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting this year’s B.C. volunteer firefighter spring training seminar. And the public is invited to come out on Saturday and Sunday to watch as firefighters try to “push their skills to the max.”
“The event is set up so the public can walk through safely and we’ll have areas for the public to watch what’s going on,” said Sunshine Valley Fire Chief Chris Terry. “There’ll be some car fires and people being rescued and things like that. So, it will be quite exciting if you’ve never seen anything like that before.”
With over 350 people — which includes 175 firefighters, firefighter trainers, and various vendors selling firefighter themed merchandise — the three-day seminar promises excitement and good times for fans of the firefighting field. This year, 41 departments will be participating which includes firefighters from Hope, as well as three departments from the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD).
The seminar, which is hosted every second year by the Oliver Fire Department, provides B.C. firefighters the opportunity to receive training on a variety of firefighting skills related to both fire and wildfire safety. Over 20 sessions will be offered, including one and two day courses being offered through the Justice Institute of BC. The sessions include training on extrication, vehicle fires, gas line fires, wildfire mitigation, forcible entry, and stabilization (to name a few of the training offered).
“A lot of areas (in B.C.) were impacted by the fires last year,” Terry said. “So, they’re sending in a bunch of people to refresh on the training.”
During this time, visitors can watch the firefighters and purchase any of merchandise. On Saturday, the public can attend from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. And on Sunday, they can attend from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
A concert, featuring Sunshine Valley’s very own Ashley Pater, will also be taking place for the firefighters on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
@KemoneMoodley
kemone.moodley@hopestandard.com
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