Filming of "Guardians of the North." (Submitted/Chris Triffo)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Documentary Series

Documentary series being made about emergency crews in northern Saskatchewan

Aug 26, 2022 | 4:00 PM

A six-part documentary series is highlighting the life of fire crews and search and rescue efforts in northern Saskatchewan.

“Guardians of the North” is being put on by Wavelength Entertainment and Guardian Media Inc. with funding coming from Creative Saskatchewan and Citytv Saskatchewan.

Emergency personnel around Prince Albert, La Ronge, and communities in between are featured.

Chris Triffo, one of the series directors and producers, told paNOW this is arguable the most exciting thing he’s ever gotten the chance to film.

“Over my career of 20 to 30 years I’ve gotten a glimpse into a lot of different worlds like the FBI and CIA and this one is equally as intriguing and exciting.”

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Thanks to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management, Triffo and his film crew were able to work alongside crews at different tanker bases and fire bases. When it was safe, they also got the chance to film these professionals out in the wild.

Triffo explained seeing fire crews work, from spotting blazes to attacking them, really put into perspective just how extreme their job is. He also gained admiration for the Indigenous crews and their knowledge of the land.

“Many of them were raised there, they knew the land, they hunted on the land, they know where the lakes are, and they have a respect for the land like no other.”

Along with filming Indigenous crews fighting fires, they also got the chance to follow along during search and rescue missions when they visited Muskoday First Nation.

“We were fortunate to follow those talented people on some very dramatic search and rescues,” said Triffo.

Filming of “Guardians of the North.” (Submitted/Chris Triffo)

The series is set to air sometime in 2023. Triffo noted there’s a good chance it could be sometime in February or possibly earlier.

Along with Citytv, it’s slated to air on Rogers and other media outlets.

Without spoiling anything else, Triffo said people should expect some unreal footage.

“We got some extremely dramatic footage, I would dare say it’s probably some of the best footage that’s ever been taken of fighting a wildfire, all elements of it.”

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow