In an effort to respond to the needs of surrounding communities affected by the Cariboo wildfires, CNC's continuing education department is offering a S100 basic fire suppression and safety training course for free.
The 14-hour course, which begins today with all costs covered by the college, covers the basic knowledge surrounding wildfire suppression, wildfire behavior and safety procedures.
Once completed, participants will be able to effectively and safely respond with basic firefighting techniques applicable to B.C.
"There was a real urgency to building this course for this upcoming weekend," said Alison Anderson, acting director of community and continuing education.
"One of CNC's strengths is our ability to create relevant programs that meet our community's needs. Our strong partnerships with community agencies and instructors enabled us to work quickly and pull this together."
Course S185 on fire avoidance and entrapment is also being offered during the session.
Once completed, participants will have developed the skills necessary to assess and evaluate potential fire entrapment situations and how to respond.
They will also learn how to remove themselves safely from high-risk situations and how to use safe lifesaving strategies.
According to CNC, the course was designed to meet the needs of contractors who may be hired by the government in order to undertake tasks such as monitoring fire walls and hot spots after burning areas are contained.
Medics, duty operators and reforestation crews are also among those who could positively benefit from the course.
There are no prerequisites and participants will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.
A wait list will be created for those unable to attend but they will be contacted if the course is offered in the future.
The training will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To register, phone 250-561-5801 or toll free at: 1-800-371-8111 ext. 5801 or email [email protected].
