Regina, Saskatchewan — In the first government-funded initiative of its kind in Canada, the province of Saskatchewan announced that it is now accepting applications for fire departments that would like to take part in the debut Transportation Rescue Extrication (TREX) program.
Run through Saskatchewan’s Public Safety Agency (SPSA), this new program aims to educate the province’s firefighters on how to safely and efficiently extract people from the wreckage of auto collisions, where previously this sort of knowledge was only sought on the initiative of individual fire chiefs.
TREX was developed in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association (SVFFA), the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs (SAFC) and the Provincial Training Standards Committee, and has set a goal of achieving the following objectives:
- Enhance capacity for fire departments to respond to motor vehicle collisions through the provision of funded training and equipment.
- Ensure participating fire departments can maintain their response levels by having set program criteria.
- Provide the SPSA and SGI with the ability to measure program success for a minimum of five years once each participating community enters the maintenance phase of the program.
“Comprehensive programs like TREX ensure that firefighters in Saskatchewan have the skills and tools needed for safer and more efficient responses,” said SPSA President and Fire Commissioner Marlo Pritchard.
“The training provided will improve the safety of Saskatchewan residents and the firefighters responding to motor vehicle collisions.”
As one of our nation’s more sparsely populated provinces, Saskatchewan relies heavily on the volunteer fire departments to respond to many accidents, and the province’s minister responsible for auto insurance said educating these volunteers on the intricacies of the modern vehicle body is vital for the safety of all involved.
“Volunteer firefighters are often first on the scene of collisions in rural Saskatchewan, so it’s vital they have the training and equipment they need,” said Don Morgan.
“As vehicle technology advances, this program will continue to support their ability to respond to collisions safely and effectively.”
