Calgary City Council members join firefighters for firsthand training

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek along with members of City Council joined firefighters Monday for Fire Ops 101.

Gondek and city councillors — dressed in full firefighter gear — were tasked with putting out a fire in a controlled scenario, using the jaws of life to simulate rescuing someone from a vehicle, and responding to a mock medical emergency.

The event is designed so that city officials can experience what it’s like to live a day in the life of a firefighter.

“Our first call for my crew was a medical call,” Gondek said. “You know, you hear about people overdosing, and you hear about the work that Calgary Fire has to do until EMS can get there, but until you’re in that setting, and until you are trying to revive somebody and figure out how to save this life, you don’t get it.”

(From the left) Ward 12 Councillor Evan Spencer, Ward 2 Councillor Jennifer Wyness, Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Ward 9 Gian-Carlo Carra, and Ward 3 Councillor Jasmine Mian. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews Photo)

The mayor added that she participated in the Fire Ops 101 program years ago as a councillor, and says it’s an experience “that you can’t match.”

“At that time, I was able to make better policy decisions because I could see the reality of the folks that we are responsible for setting budgets for,” Gondek said.

A total of 10 council members, including the mayor, joined in on the training day.

Gondek was also asked about the federal government’s incoming gun legislation at an availability after the event.

“As municipalities we’ve had a lot of responsibility shoved down on us over the years,” Gondek said. “This is absolutely the responsibility of the federal government to come up with firearms legislation that protects people.

“I’m happy to see that they are doing something, I really hope they don’t go back to the days when they want to push it to cities. That is not our jurisdiction, it’s not our responsibility, they need to take care of us here.”