Brandon recently held the Office of the Fire Commissioner Fire Protection Workshop with municipal officials invited from all around. Neil Christoffersen, mayor of the Municipality of North Norfolk, attended with ward 1 councillor Bill Wieler.

"I think the main thing was to get municipal officials thinking about what needs to be done for fire protection, and a chance to see things perhaps a little bit from the other side of the coin. We experienced what firefighters have gone through," explains Christoffersen.

He says one highlight had them experience the simulation of a smoke-filled room in a training tower two stories high. The room was in total darkness, and they had to crawl and find a doll representing an infant with all the turnout gear, helmet, and breathing apparatus on. Christoffersen adds it was an eye-opening experience.