Fire safety to be taught to Sask. students with interactive education trailer

A new fire safety education trailer will teach elementary school-aged children about fire safety through the use of props like smoke machines and heated doors that simulate a real blaze in a home.

The first of its kind trailer in Saskatchewan, which will be stationed in Humboldt, will also accommodate students with accessibility issues.

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BHP Potash made a $30,000 donation on Tuesday to the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs (SAFC) towards the purchase of the trailer.

“We are certainly fortunate where we can partner with various businesses and community groups to take a project like this from vision to reality,” Fire Chief Russ Austin, co-chair of the SAFC public education committee, said in a press release.

“We are thankful to BHP who provided a huge boost to take us over the top getting this first trailer into Saskatchewan.”

SAFC embarked on the project in 2015 to promote fire safety education in a visible and interactive way.

There will also be a working bedroom window to simulate an escape route, an instruction area and a flat-screen TV displaying fire prevention messages.

The association plans to place a dozen trailers across the province at an estimated cost of $42,000 per trailer.

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BHP said it made the donation to support the emergency response capabilities of the region surrounding its Jansen potash project roughly 60 kilometres southeast of Humboldt.

Humboldt is approximately 105 kilometres east of Saskatoon.