Shovels, sweat and determination: Yukoners go to firefighting bootcamp

Forthe third year in a row, a group of Yukon First Nation citizensisbeing trained to fight wildfires. They're getting level one and two wildlandfirefighting certification.

The "Beat the Heat Bootcamp" isanine-day training course, with classroominstruction and outdoor field training. Students learn how to work as a team, and usefirefighting tools such asportable water pumps, shovels and hoses.

Some of the traineesend up with seasonal contracts with the Yukon government's Wildland Fire Management program and spend the summer working throughout the territory.

Others aretrained firefighters whoneed to re-certify their skills.

The training program gives new recruitsa taste ofwhat it's like to be part of afirefighting team.

"I think everybody is going to see a lot of good out of this... it's going to bring money to their economy, and it's going to give them life lessons, I believe," saidJordan Profeit, resource manager for Yukon First Nations Wildfire,a First Nations owned and operated company that provides firefighting contract services.

He says the "bootcamp"is important for people living in Yukon's smallercommunities, because theyare the people who know the land and their community.

Jobs and training

The Ta'an Kwch'n Council's Da Daghay Development Corporation saw a need three years ago to create jobs and training for their citizens. That's whythe camp was created.

This yearthere are 100participants, with about 80 of thembeingFirst Nations citizens from across the territory.

Chad Thomas is CEO of Yukon First Nations Wildfire.

He says the program increases the number of qualified firefighters on hand to tackle a wildfire.

"Right now we have about 80 [trained] firefighters... after this course, we should have around 120 that are going to be able to help protect the Yukon."

He says this year marks the first time the Yukon government is recognizing theintroductory Type 2courses the camp offers. Type 2 crews provide basic firefighting services within their home communities and are called upon when there arelow risk fires.

As of last year, Yukon First Nation Wildfire hadtrained more than200 firefighters.