Photo: Fire skid provided to Wakaw-Hoodoo-Cudworth Fire Department by GlobalMedic
By: Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Saturday, June 20th, firefighters at the Wakaw Fire Hall hosted an open house and barbecue to encourage and invite the public to come and ask questions, talk to firefighters, and learn more about the equipment and what it means to be a volunteer firefighter. Members from both the Wakaw and Cudworth fire halls were available to hand out burgers and chat with the public.
In 2023, the RM of Hoodoo, together with the Town of Wakaw and the Town of Cudworth, decided to create a paid 60 percent FTE Fire Chief position that would lead a combined team of firefighters from fire halls in Wakaw and Cudworth. With volunteer crews, there are naturally some who hold jobs outside of the communities and therefore are not able to respond to every fire call; being able to draw from both crews offsets that. With the increasing number of properties at Wakaw Lake, combined with contracts to serve residents in Alvena and the RM of Fish Creek, the area served by the amalgamated fire department is huge and new volunteers are always welcome, with regular training sessions helping everyone learn and maintain new skills.
Chief Darrell Wickenhauser noted that, while this year’s fire season has started much quieter than 2025, education and awareness about fire bans and Fire Smart strategies remain vitally important in keeping people and communities safe. Also crucial, for community safety, is having access to the equipment that facilitates the firefighters’ job. Without the right tools, even experienced firefighters cannot mount a safe or effective response, and to that end, last week, 22 fire skids were delivered to Warman for pickup by volunteer fire departments in Saskatchewan. Wakaw-Hoodoo-Cudworth Fire Department applied for a fire skid this year and was fortunate enough to bring one of those 22 back to Wakaw. Wickenhauser credited Deputy Chief Ray Baumann as being instrumental in acquiring the skid. The department’s third wildland truck, Wildland 3820, will be transformed and retrofitted to carry the skid.
Wildfires in Canada are growing more intense and destructive each year, and while more personnel are being trained and deployed, having enough apparatus to match those teams is critical. GlobalMedic is working to meet this challenge by supporting wildfire relief efforts across Canada by partnering with rural and volunteer fire departments to provide urgently needed firefighting equipment, increasing their capacity to respond quickly and effectively to fast-moving fires. A central part of this response is the deployment of fire skid units, self-contained systems that transform a pickup truck or utility vehicle into a small, maneuverable fire truck. Each fire skid includes a 1,000-litre water tank, a high-pressure pump and hose, allowing crews to operate in rugged terrain and reach areas inaccessible to full-sized engines and pumpers.
GlobalMedic was established in 1998 by Toronto Paramedic Rahul Singh, after the tragic loss of his closest friend, David McAntony Gibson, who “exemplified a rare spirit, extending his helping hand to those within his proximity and far beyond.” (https://globalmedic.ca/info/) The David McAntony Gibson Foundation (DMGF), known as GlobalMedic, is a registered Canadian charity, with a mandate to provide “people affected by poverty, disaster and/or conflict with humanitarian aid, both on a domestic and global scale.”
Wildfire season is beginning earlier and extending later, with an increased likelihood of fires occurring and/or continuing to burn during winter months due to dry conditions. These changes present challenges for rural and volunteer fire departments, which serve as primary responders during emergencies. Many of these departments face limitations due to small personnel numbers and aging equipment while tasked with protecting large areas and lives under increasingly severe conditions. In response to these challenges, GlobalMedic has provided 610 fire skid units to frontline departments in areas prone to wildfires. These units are being utilized to improve fire response capabilities, reduce the spread of wildfires, and assist surrounding communities during heightened emergencies.