Yellowknife (Feb 25/05) - For the second time in its history, the Yellowknife Fire Department will host the annual Canadian Firefighter Curling Championships.

The 46th event will be held March 23 to April 3. The bonspiel was also held here in 1993. Saskatchewan won the finals then, said fire chief Mick Beauchamp.

"It's the only true competition in Canada that brings firefighters from all the provinces and the NWT together in a competition," Beauchamp said of winning the coveted Hydrant trophy.

This year, Fort Simpson will be representing the territories.

The event will also help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation.

"Every team brings up things to be promoted in a silent auction," he said.

"They've raised as much as $14,000 per event through this," he said.

The department is also working to raise money to cover costs of hosting the championship.

Sport North and the territorial government are also assisting with funding, he said.

"We started off with nothing. We're being quite successful securing funding for this."

Anne Williams, media co-ordinator in Western Canada for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, said Canada's firefighters have adopted the association as their "signature charity."

"It goes back to 1954 when Muscular Dystrophy Canada first started," Williams said.

Whether it is the curling championships or the annual boot drives, Williams said the firefighters often will donate all or a portion of the proceeds to the association because of that historic relationship. "The amount they donate each year is about $2 million and it is a quarter of our annual revenue."