'Fire shooting sparks and debris': Meet frontline firefighters in Fort McMurray
Firefighters are always needed in a province like Alberta. It's estimated there are 40 fires across the province right now. As veteran firefighters, new recruits and water bomber crews continue to fight the Fort McMurray fire, The Current looks at the empathy and understanding of these firefighters from across the country as well as the toll taken on such resilient responders.
"I've wanted to get into fire fighting for close to 10 years now," says cabinet maker Sasha Serre, 34. "Every year I see the fires happening in Alberta and it just eats away at me, you know. You just want to be out there and you just want to be helping out with the guys."
Serre's connection to firefighting and yearning to help is a sentiment echoed around the room of a graduation ceremony in Edmonton. After 12 days of intensive firefighting training, this group's work is already waiting for them in Fort McMurray.
For Nathan Gervais, who is from Slave Lake, it was inevitable he'd wind up here.
"A lot of people saved our town so now I get to the opportunity to go and save someone else's town, which is Fort McMurray."
Five years ago, when fire ravaged Slave Lake, Alta., the town was left in ruins and hundred left homeless. Tyler Warman is the mayor of Slave Lake and a retired firefighter, but last week he suited up and headed to Fort McMurray.
"[Fort McMurray] needs as much as you can give them and you give as much as you can give," Warman says. "You work as hard as you can until your body needs that break."
This segment was produced by The Current's Julian Uzielli.