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Like everybody else, it was a dream as a kid, getting on.
But life takes funny turns, and I got onto a volunteer department at age 35,
because they were looking for people, and I knew absolutely nothing about firefighting at the time.
The ESTC started with the idea that rural firefighters has limited access to proper fire training facilities,
and proper fire training opportunities.
What we discovered is that there are rural needs that are different from urban ones.
In a rural community like this, it makes it a lot easier for the volunteers to get the training,
instead of travelling to say, Gravenhurst, or somewhere else to get the training.
It's close by, and the training here is top-notch.
We started out with the basics.
Protective clothing, USCBA, things that are going to save and protect you.
Suppression techniques that we carry over,
forceful entry.
We put it together, and on the last day of each of the modules,
we take everything they've learned up until that point, and we put it into a live execise.
On the first day of each course, one of the first things that we do to get to know the students,
one of the questions we ask them all is,
"Why did you join the department?"
and every single one - it doesn't matter where they are from - they say the same answer:
"Joined the department to help my community."
There is a fellowship in the fire service.
It doesn't matter what department, from what part of the country you are from.
There is a fellowship that is felt nationwide.
Everybody helps everybody.
It is one big brotherhood.
A lot of the departments, they get their recruits because they've had an incident of their own,
and they want to give back to the community for helping them.
The ESTC has been a phenomenal ride for all those involved.
From humble beginnings for a simple fire department training centre,
to a facility that creates thousands and thousands of dollars in spinoffs to our community,
and is providing world class courses, with people coming from as far away as British Columbia,
and New York.
It's really something to be a part of.
It's a really exciting time for our training centre in our community.