Local 80 and Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services are taking a big step toward improving the health of their members.  On October 19th through the 23rd, Local 80 and SFPS will be hosting a Peer Fitness Trainer course, which will include twelve Saskatoon Firefighters and up to twenty fire personnel from other cities across Canada.  This intense course will give the Firefighters the knowledge and skills to work with members of their department to asses their fitness levels and help them develop programs to achieve their fitness goals.  The course is taught by two instructors from the IAFF who have been specially trained to deliver a firefighter specific training course.  Both Local 80 and SFPS are proud to take this unprecedented step in the name of wellness.

The Peer Fitness Trainer program is just one component of the larger Wellness Fitness Initiative developed by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).  These two organizations worked with ten Fire Departments across The United States and Canada to develop the Initiative which released its first edition in 1996.  Since 1996 there have been countless testimonials from departments all across North America where lives have been saved and sick time minimized by the various components of the WFI.  Numerous studies conducted have proven that the dollar amount saved in reduced sick time far outweighs the cost of implementing the program in a department, and for the members whose lives have been saved by the WFI, there is obviously no dollar amount can can compare.