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AKLAVIK
Aklavik hasn't had a house fire since January 2011, but the community's deputy fire chief says more volunteers are needed to keep the community safe.

"If there's an emergency, when there is a fire, we have a lot of (ordinary residents) help out," said deputy fire chief Larry Noland. To ensure everybody's safety, he said 10 or 12 trained volunteer firefighters are needed.

"That way nobody's running into a building when it's on fire, going in there without knowledge," he said.

Currently, there are six volunteer firefighters in the community, including Noland and fire Chief Peter Archie.

The last house fire in Aklavik was on Jan. 17 of last year, when a blaze erupted at the Elanik family's home. Volunteer firefighters were soon on the scene, but it was Philip Elanik who helped his wife and children escape safely with the help of a family friend.

Elanik was later flown to Edmonton for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. On Aug. 10 he died from unrelated pancreatic cancer.

Archie said it isn't hard to find people in the community interested in becoming volunteer firefighters, but that many are too busy with work to find time for training.

"It would be better for them to be trained to know what is to come. During a fire a lot of things happen," he said.

Noland added that with people often out of town or on the land, having a boost in numbers would ensure there are always volunteer firefighters in town. "It's a vital part of the community, because fire protection is something we need," he said.

Noland, who is also the Baptist pastor in Aklavik, took part in firefighter training in Inuvik on March 10. While there, the local fire department gave him replacement fire hoses, nozzles and recovery tools.

Soon, when the Inuvik fire department receives more new equipment, he will also get replacement air tanks and breathing apparatuses.

Noland said he hopes to train members of the volunteer fire department so that they in turn can train new recruits.

"There's always some unknown when you've been trained for what to look for and what to see, to have a bit of understanding about how fires work," he said. "I'm still learning some of this myself."

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