A special initiative is giving the wives and girlfriends of Morden firefighters the chance to experience what they do on the job.
The firefighters have taken on the role of instructors to guide their partners through a range of aspects of their training and practices.
Last month included a session on equipment such as breathing apparatuses, and the session last Wednesday had them experience extinguishing a car fire at the department’s practice site.
“We try to get them to do things in stages,” said Chief Andy Thiessen, who noted they started with what’s expected of their partners then moved into learning about the gear and equipment and then working with the fire hose and hitting a target. “It may not get too far into some live practical drills … but we want to give them a good taste of things.”
Bryan Gerbrandt, who has been with the department for 23 years, appreciated having the chance to have his wife Tanya involved.
“I think it’s great. They get a chance to see what we do and be a part of it. And it gives the ladies a chance to get to know each other,” he said.
“We meet every other week, and then we get calls, so we’re out often,’ he noted. “We’re a pretty close group, and this gives us all a chance to all get together.”
“This initiative was actually my idea along with two other wives,” noted Tanya, who has herself been involved with the department as radio operator for two years.
“During COVID, we had new members join, and their wives didn’t have a chance to get to know us veteran ladies who have been around for awhile,” she said.
“It’s also good to get to know what they do … not being part of the department, but I was fortunate to be able to go with them on practice burns and take pictures and do things like that,” she noted. “It’s also to build that camaraderie among us ladies … and it’s good to understand the dynamics as well, what’s involved with calls and such.”
“Having the car fire here, now they know when the husbands get a page for a car fire, they can picture what we’re going to be doing,” said Bryan. “And cutting apart a car too when we go to an accident.”
“It’s been really fun to do all these drills together,” said Tanya.
“They’re all very willing to learn and to do everything,” added Bryan.
“It’s been a full part of our relationship through our whole marriage,” noted Andrew Braun, who has been with the department for 22 years and married to Tara for 21 years.
“This has been an unbelievable experience for everyone … we’ve never had the opportunity to do anything like this and share the experience,” said Andrew. “You can try to explain it but you can’t really put it into words … it gives a well rounded experience of what we’re doing when we’re out on calls.”
“I heard the guys were having fun demolishing cars and putting out fires … so we thought the girls should have some fun too,” Tara said with a chuckle. “We thought it would be fun to have a ladies group and get together every so often and just hang out and bond.”
She added it does give them a greater appreciation for what their spouses do for the community.
“They do a lot of hard work … and this gear is heavy; the air tanks are very heavy, and it’s not the most comfortable job to do, but they do a great job of it.
“This is just a little taste of what they do, but it’s hard work … and you have to be in a little more fit shape to do it. There’s a lot you need to know about it.”
“For our spouses to come and experience this opportunity and have fun with it … it’s just a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Andrew, who noted they all share “a lot of appreciation and a lot of respect for the guys. And that respect goes both ways. When we leave our spouses and families behind … we miss out on some things.”
“It’s really good,” said Thiessen. “It gives them a good idea of what their other halves are doing and what’s involved with it and how their time is spent … and they are building a little bit of camaraderie amongst themselves too. They will get to know each other a bit more, and that is a good thing as well.”
