About 700 people were at HALO Emergency Services School Day on Sept. 14, 2023. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

HALO School Day introduces students to emergency services roles, tools

Sep 14, 2023 | 5:10 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – When young kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, a career as a firefighter, police officer or pilot are often near the top of the list.

HALO Emergency Services School Day at the Medicine Hat Regional Airport put kids together with people who have those jobs and the equipment they need to perform them.

Irvine School Grade 4 teach Shawn Yeast says students were asking questions about the roles and the tools.

“These are cool items that they can come and see and see what some of the people are actually doing in their jobs. So it’s been good,” says Irvine School Grade 4 teacher Shawn Yeast. “We’ve got to see the firefighters and search and rescue so far and then some kids want to go into the airplane hangar and see what else is in there.”

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Seven hundred Grade 4-6 students from all three local school divisions were expected throughout the morning. One by one they lined up to talk to police officers, paramedics and other first responders, and got a chance to sit in firetrucks, different aircraft and police vehicles.

Grade 5/6 Schuler School teacher Nicole Wittig says her students took a special interest in the firetrucks.

“A lot of them are really into the farm world but a few years ago we did have a really big fire out in the Hilda/Schuler area so lots of the kids are really interested in the firetrucks and how they work and how they’re going to help us in the area,” she says.

This year included an appearance by a Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules aircraft, which performed a demonstration above the crowd.

HALO also partnered with Prairie Rose Public Schools and was able to feature the Dave Rozdeba South Alberta Flight Academy and the plane those students built.

HALO CEO Paul Carolan is excited School Day is back after a four-year break, grounded since 2019 due to the pandemic.

“It’s just an opportunity to feature both our partners in emergency services and the helicopter,” he says. “One of the things we say all the time as you know is this is the kind of event we want to introduce HALO to people. We never want people to need HALO so it’s just a really cool opportunity to show kids around and show everyone what we do.”

Yeast agrees with Carolan that a day like this is a much better introduction to emergency services than the alternative.

“This is awesome to come out in September for a field trip but it’s really neat for the kids to be able to see some of the emergency services and what is being offered, hopefully not on the end of receiving that treatment,” she says. “So they’re excited. They’re excited to be here and it’s a really nice day so it’s great.”

One day these students may be the ones answering the questions from the next generation.