Winnipeg, MB – The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) training academy welcomed ten newcomer youth this week as part of their Equity and Diversity Camp. The week-long camp is designed to provide newcomer youth with exposure to a variety of scenarios that firefighters, paramedics, and WFPS 911 communication operators encounter on a daily basis. Youth also participate in career training workshops such as interview preparation.
“Increasing diversity within the WFPS is an important goal for us and the annual Equity and Diversity Camp is a wonderful way for us to engage with newcomer youth about the benefits of a career in firefighting, paramedicine or emergency telecommunications,” said Assistant Chief Mark Reshaur, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, Fire and Injury Prevention “The Camp also provides us with an opportunity to educate newcomer youth on fire and injury prevention which empowers them to bring that knowledge back to their families and friends.”
The Camp has been running for seven years and starting in 2014, has been organized in partnership with Newcomer Employment and Education Development Services (N.E.E.D.S.) Inc. Since 2014, 40 newcomer youth have participated in the Camp.
The WFPS currently employs 490 firefighters, 393 firefighter-paramedics, 322 paramedics, and 68 911 communication operators who provide citizens with emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
For more information on the WFPS, visit City of Winnipeg – Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.
For more information on the City’s commitment to equity and diversity, please visit City of Winnipeg – Equity and Diversity.