Montreal firefighters held a big family event on Saturday at Angrignon Park, in the west of the island, bringing together hundreds of curious people. About forty firefighters from across Quebec competed there in a Canada-wide competition.
Posted at 3:15 p.m.
“It’s our first edition, but we want it to come back every year. It’s really a gathering that we want to be festive. We carry out several activities with the aim of raising public awareness of the reality of our profession. And we wanted young people to be able to enjoy it, with fun activities and inflatable games. Everything is really family-based,” explains event organizer and member and treasurer of the Montreal Firefighters Association, Marc-André Gosselin.
He estimates that almost a thousand Montrealers responded to the invitation, which had been launched the day before. “It allows us at the same time to inform the population. We have a fire prevention activity, which simulates smoke in an apartment, for example, and a kiosk with all the firefighter’s equipment, or truck visits,” continues Mr. Gosselin. A collection from the Montreal Auxiliary Firefighters Museum was also available to the public.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
A firefighter taking part in competitions
Towards the Canadian final
Beyond the educational nature of the activity, it was above all an opportunity for the public to attend the Quebec final of the Canada-wide competition of the Firefit Championship, an endurance and rescue event. The participants — firefighters and students from Montreal, Longueuil, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Beauharnois — submit to a series of athletic challenges, including climbing a three-storey tower.
“They have to do a simulated break-in, pulling a dummy several meters, and lifting pipes. It’s similar to what a firefighter does in an intervention, ”explains Marc-André Gosselin.
Of the 40 participants, a handful will qualify for the Canadian final of the Firefit Championship, which is to be held next September at Spruce Meadows, a sports center located near Calgary, Alberta.
More generally, the Firefighters Association hopes that such events will have the effect of attracting more firefighters. “We really want to show the profession in all its flavors, so I think it’s still something that can stimulate the youngest in the long term,” illustrates Mr. Gosselin.