A new television docuseries, which was filmed in Saskatchewan, is set to premiere Tuesday night.
The show Guardians of the North follows wildland firefighters in Saskatchewan’s Indigenous and northern communities while protecting the people, property, and resources of the north.
Chris Triffo with Wavelength Entertainment was one of the show’s producers and said it was an amazing experience to witness what the firefighters do.
“It was an honour for us to embed with the brave men and women as they worked tirelessly battling fires in extreme conditions with the express goal of protecting the North.”
“When there is a structure fire or a wildfire, and everyone else is running in the opposite direction, the Guardians of the North are running towards the fire,” he continued. “They’re putting their all on the line to save resources, to save communities, and to save people.”
Triffo, who is from Saskatchewan, said it was great to tell a story from his backyard.
“It’s nice to highlight local heroes,” he said. “Really nice to be able to do that as a production team, to put effort into something that is beneficial, and it is beneficial for the people of Saskatchewan to see what these organizations do and to see what the individual to keep us safe.”
The show features personnel from the SPSA, Muskoday First Nations Fire Department and Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management (FNEM) as they train for and battle wildfires on the ground and from the air during the summer of 2022. The MCCAFE wildfire near Stanley Mission, which burnt more than 12,000 hectares, is featured in the show.
Guardians of the North was a recipient of Creative Saskatchewan’s Feature Film and TV Production grant.
The $276,000 investment is expected to see an estimated $1.3 million of economic outputs back into Saskatchewan.