North of the Border

This week's expedition on behalf of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) took me north of the border to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  The purpose of this trip was to represent the IAFC at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC).  CAFC is the professional association that represents fire chiefs from across Canada.  It also serves as the Canadian Division of the IAFC, although not all members of CAFC hold membership in the IAFC.  It was a very enjoyable and productive few days with my colleagues.  Although a national border may seperate us, the issues that we face as chief fire officers are much the same.  Firefighter health and safety/reduction of line of duty deaths, effective and efficient deployment of resources in times of constrained economic resources, fire sprinklers, building codes, etc are all on their agenda.  I'm glad that I was able to be there to connect with friends and to learn about the fire service in Canada.

This trip was also enjoyable because it took me to a place that I haven't visited before and I got to see some new things.  The flight out of San Diego was spectacular with a great view of the Grand Canyon at sunrise. We had a welcoming party on hand when we arrived at Regina, although I'm not entirely sure that the pilot knew why they were there !

Sunday was not a full day, so we took the opportunity to visit the thriving metropolis of Moose Jaw, SK. Moose Jaw has quite the history.  While it is now a tourist destination, retirement center, and a regional hub for agriculture and mining, it used to serve as the center for bootlegging during the Prohibition period and Mr. Al Capone is said to have visited frequently.

I have to confess that there wasn't much to see and do in Moose Jaw on a Sunday morning.  We did, however, come across a rather large moose at the visitor's center.

In addition to being the home of a VERY large moose, the town is also home to the Snowbirds - the Canadian military precision flight demonstration team.  That's one of their planes mounted behind the moose.  I've seen the Snowbirds perform, so it was neat to see their home.

Regina is a thriving town of just over 200,000 citizens.  It is the capital of Saskatchewan and serves as regional hub for agriculture and mining.  It is a town in the middle of hundreds of miles of wheat fields, occasionally interrupted by a potash mine or a coal mine.  It's also pretty flat there.  I was told a couple of variations of the same joke.  One was that if your dog runs away, you can watch it run all the way to Winnepeg.....or you can see it run for a month.  Let's just say that it is very, very, very flat there.  Interestingly, Regina is the home of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).  Their training center is there - it is huge and looks like a college campus.  Every Mountie is trained there and then dispatched to their posts throughout Canada.  The opening ceremonies for the conference were held in the auditorium at "The Depot".  We got to see the oldest building in Regina - the chapel on the grounds of the training center.  It was built in the early 1890s and has been beautifully restored.

Stained glass windows at front of chapel.  Notice the Mounties in the stained glass!

Also at the training center is the RCMP Heritage Center which is a large and beautiful museum dedicated to the history of the RCMP.  We had a reception there following the opening ceremonies for the conference and it was fascinating to wander the halls and galleries and see the many exhibits tracing the history of the RCMP and law enforcement in general in the Wild West of Canada!  I also ran across this creature in one of the exhibit areas! 

I'm glad that I had  the chance to experience Regina and all it has to offer.  Thanks to my Canadian friends for their warm hospitality!