First Nations fire crews battle it out in 31st regional competition as female firefighters dwindle

“They’ve been learning from the veterans on the volunteer fire departments. They came out to give it a try themselves and next year, [we’re] hoping that they’ll be competing with all of our senior teams.”

The event began Saturday morning with an opening ceremony, including O Canada, a prayer, and traditional drumming. Teams were then put to the test, where they were put through a series of challenging firefighter evolutions that showcased their strength, skills, teamwork, and emergency response training.

Teams are judged throughout the event and are ranked via a point system, where the winning fire department will move on to represent Saskatchewan at the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council’s (NIFSC) 37th annual National Firefighting Competition in Saskatoon from Oct. 24-27.

In addition to championship status, one team will walk away as the inaugural winner of the Georgie McDonald Sportsmanship Award. McDonald was a familiar face to the competition as he both competed in and supported the event for more than 20 years. He passed away last year after a battle with cancer.

“That was one huge thing that Georgie loved to do; he loved the competition and he was so good at just having fun and getting everybody pumped up about the evolutions and teamwork. One thing that we have on the plaque that everybody who ever worked with Georgie will recognize is just one word and the word is ‘Think’. That’s something he always shared with his team is ‘Think’.”

She continued that custom medals were made for the winning team that don McDonald’s face along with the word ‘Think’. She added that the judges won’t be handing out that award but rather the competitors themselves.

“Each one of the teams here gets one vote, as a team, to vote one of the other teams as most sportsmanlike. That’ll be done at our banquet.”

Also at Saturday’s banquet, some of McDonald’s family will be in attendance as Georgie will be honoured for all his years as a firefighter and for helping out at the competition both regionally and nationally.

One thing that Vandevord couldn’t help but notice about this year’s event is the lack of women, as she said it’s most likely the first time that no women were competing amongst the teams.

As a woman in firefighting herself, she added that she recently became the first female Fire Chief of Muskoday First Nation after volunteering there for 27 years and that the job couldn’t be more rewarding.

“At the heart of firefighting, I tell everybody it’s just that desire of volunteerism and to give back to your community. You don’t have to be fit, you don’t have to be strong, you just need to have a big heart and love your community and love your people. I know we have lots of those people in our communities and a lot of our females who could really help our fire departments on reserve.”

She explained that firefighting wasn’t even her first choice as a career, and it all started with a tap on the shoulder as it does with most volunteer firefighters. For her, her introduction to firefighting came from the late Randy Bair.

“If it wasn’t for him, I never would have become a firefighter, and I also wouldn’t have put an application in for [the SFNEM]. He encouraged me to do that. We worked at the fire hall together and he was first to apply for [SFNEM] and he’s like, ‘it’s a great job you’d love this’. I’ve now been with [SFNEM] for nine years now and I love this job.”

Like McDonald, Bair also passed away from cancer in 2021 after spending more than 40 years as a first responder.

“One thing that my team is really good at when they are training on reserve is making sure that everyone knows the risks,” Vandevord said, noting the priorities she has with her crew. “Mental health being another one that’s really important, so it’s more than just teaching people about the trucks and what to do. Firefighter safety is always on the top of the mind.”

At last year’s National Firefighting Competition in Calgary, Manitoba’s Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation took overall first place while Saskatchewan’s Black Lake Denesuline Nation placed fourth.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

by Logan Lehmann

First Nations fire crews battle it out in 31st regional competition as female firefighters dwindle

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