‘I would be very happy having them on my truck:' Sask. firefighters graduate in Melville
Friends and family recently gathered in Melville to celebrate Suncrest College's newest professional firefighter graduates.
'You're going to be the ones running towards the danger when others run away. You're the ones that will protect lives, property, peace of mind.'
This was one of the touching lines addressed to 18 young people sitting around tables covered in white tablecloths, surrounded by family at Melville's CN Community Centre on Friday.
The event marked the end of their four and a half month long training course.
'They're using equipment. So, the fire trucks, the hoses, the … self-contained breathing apparatus,' explained Neil Sundeep, a training consultant for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA).
Sundeep added that the training also covered a wide variety of fields, that make the qualification stand on in the labour market.
'Hazardous materials is a big thing, industrial firefighting, wildland firefighting, which we just introduced this year,' he added.
Sundeep says he's satisfied with this year's graduates – as this year's students had a 100 percent success rate in the courses.
'If I was still a firefighting captain, I would be very happy having them on my truck to be part of the team that I was on.'
The training pushed the new firefighters' limits, according to graduate Stee-Jans Big Eagle.
'There was a lot of stuff I didn't know I could do till after the first,' he said. '[For example], confined space. Confined space with an air tank on and on my structure gear. Rescuing somebody down a ladder and being able to handle the heat.'
It wasn't only the training that made the past months difficult – as many of the students had to be away from their loved ones.
'My daughter. First time being away that long. It's like four and a half months of traveling back and forth on weekends,' Big Eagle explained. 'Not seeing her all week was pretty rough.'
During the speeches, Big Eagle's young daughter was sitting on his lap, they were happy to be reunited.
'She's pretty happy [about me becoming a firefighter]. She's constantly obsessed with fire trucks and firefighting,' he added.
Sask. firefighters
A class of 18 firefighter recruits celebrated their graduation in Melville, Sask. on Aug. 1, 2025. (Fruzsina De Cloedt/CTV News)
The majority of the graduates come from various areas of Saskatchewan. Another graduate, Mandy Morrison, used to be a volunteer firefighter in Davidson.
'At our department in Davidson we do a lot of internal training,' Morrison said, explaining the difference between being a volunteer firefighter and a professional one.
'I've learned a lot on that department, but here you're fully immersed in the training process. Every day you're showing up. You have that discipline, every single day. You're doing something related to fire.'
Morrison told CTV News that she has a strong drive to help people.
'That was kind of the motivation, and I love it. There's just something about when the tones go off and you get a call to go out and help and that's why I'm here.'
The group of new recruits represent everything that modern firefighting values, according to Sundeep.
'We have a variety of indigenous people, females, visible minorities,' he explained. 'We need our fire service today to reflect the communities they serve and we're very pleased that we have a very diverse group, being available to the workforce now.'
As wildfires continue to ravage northern Saskatchewan, the need for more firefighters is evident – as many of the recruits will surely be called up to serve.
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