The Redvers Fire Department is about to get very busy heading into the 2019 year with new equipment and training that is helping to develop the Redvers Firemen even further.

Brad Hutton with the Department mentioned they are starting off the year with some fun, "We're hosting our Redvers Firemen's Bonspiel in Redvers March 8th and 9th, I always encourage all members on the department to put together a team of their own. So we don't end up with a couple teams that are all Redvers Fire guys. We include a chicken supper with it, and its a $200 entry fee, "As to how you can register, "there are posters going out shortly, but just by phone number."

"Another fun bonspiel, we just started going to last year, the Fire Fighter Association host the bonspiel every year. And this year in Langham, Saskatchewan so I and three others are going to go participate in it as well. And that's December, 1, 2, and 3rd weekend. It's always a good time if any other departments are interested in going out. Moosomin guys originally got me started on it, and then we went last year and it was a blast. We have our team registered already. The association bonspiel if you win, you could go to Nationals if you've got some good curlers."

As for training Hutton mentions, "We've been doing quite a bit of training in-house, coming up this year we're going to host the SUVA Traning in our department itself. Then there is spring training that the Volunteer Fire Fighter Association hosts, every spring as well. We usually try to attend or send 4 members as well. It gets people out from several different departments, you mingle and learn different aspects of what other departments do that work and don't work. We always bring stuff back from there."

"We did some training on TransCare Rescue on grain bin entrapment, and it was a really good training that was hosted in town here. And I've talked to Bill at TransCare and we're going to have the simulator at Redvers AgEx this year on April 11th and we're going to do some demonstrations and scenarios on grain entrapment. And the process of how you rescue people if it does happen in this area."

To help with training and the purchase of equipment Hutton was very appreciative to say, "Towards the end of the year, we had a $10,000 donation form Enbridge, and when we filled out the application we were putting it all towards heavy rescue equipment for semi's and tractor units involved in accidents on highways. That stuff has all since been ordered and we'll follow up when we get the heavy rescue equipment here on hand, and we will get some training and sign up for courses on how to properly use it."

"It's basically training with heavy duty struts, and how to cradle semi units an actually lift them. I think each strut is capable of lifting 25,000lbs each, so we're kind of remote for heavier picker trucks. This is going to give us time, if we have to do a rescue, get it performed hopefully before the time that it takes to get a truck out to us."

It looks like the 2019 year for Redvers Fire Department will be one of the exciting and innovative changes along with training to keep them on their A game.