The Cadet Program aims to give career training to future firefighter. (Facebook/Meadow Lake Fire Department)

By Lane Hoffart

Fire Cadet Program

Meadow Lake Fire Department recruiting local youth

Sep 9, 2025 | 10:17 AM

Youth in Meadow Lake have a chance to get a head start in a career as a firefighter, as the Meadow Lake Fire Department is putting on a Cadet Program starting Oct. 1.

Chris Warren, who is the training officer and a captain in the Meadow Lake Fire Department, said the program aims to give high school students crucial firefighting training all before they finish school.

“We’re looking at recruiting high school students with the intention of turning them into firefighters once they graduate. We’d be asking our participants to complete an hour or two of online training every week with mostly online material. It would be stuff we provide, International Fire Service Association certified material, so the same stuff that our firefighters train on or that they would see in fire college.”

Fire Chief Joe Grela hopes the program will spark youth interest in pursuing a career as a firefighter in Meadow Lake, as there is a lack of young firefighters in the community.

“It’s difficult recruiting new members to the fire department, so the average age of firefighters in Meadow Lake is probably in the 40-plus category. Not as many younger people are joining, especially in smaller fire departments like ours.”

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Grela also said that other communities in the province have also set up their own recruitment programs.

“I’ve seen actually Warman was holding a recruitment session, Humboldt, and a bunch of other communities are holding recruitment sessions.”

Though the program will provide training for youth, Grela said that safety is a top priority for the fire department, and as a result, students will not be on-the scene.

“Youth won’t be attending actual fire calls, but they’ll be participating in separate training sessions other than the firefighters. We felt it would be quite too distractive when we’re trying to train our regular members and having young members join… We do have a training facility on the southwest side of Meadow Lake; we do have a shipping container we use for training.”

Anyone interested in signing up for the program can do so at Meadow Lake Community Registration Night at the Co-op Centre. The program is open for ages 15 to 18.

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lane.hoffart@pattisonmedia.com

by Lane Hoffart

Meadow Lake Fire Department recruiting local youth

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