Brydon Hnatiuk became the newest Career Firefighter at Weyburn Fire Services this spring.

Leaving behind the desk job life for his true calling, he said he is happy to be living in a smaller community, as he is originally from Calgary.

Hnatiuk said what really attracted him to fire services is that he never sees two days that are the same.

"Which is something that ultimately means I'm being challenged in different ways every day," he commented. "It's something that I really value in a career, I love the ability to work with the team."

"I get a lot of great camaraderie with my fellow brothers and sisters here in the fire service here in Weyburn," he shared. "And I'm in a career that I can grow into. It's something that I have to be physically fit and challenge myself that way, so being in the fire service kind of it checked off a lot of the boxes for me to have a really fulfilling career."

"I have family members who are in Saskatchewan as well," pointed out Hnatiuk. "My uncle is a retired battalion Fire Chief in Saskatoon, and he speaks glowingly about his career as a fire fighter, so it was it was a pretty intuitive decision for me to make the jump to the fire service."

After about five years honing his skills and acquiring tickets and seals, he spent a year in Crow's Nest Pass, working as a volunteer firefighter.

He said that's how he knew for certain that a smaller community was right for him.

"I loved my time down there, [...] It's six thousand people that live in the small mountain community and everyone knows everyone and the fire service is very much entwined in the community."

It also didn't hurt his case for small community living having made regular trips to Saskatchewan throughout his formative years.

"I love Saskatchewan. It's basically a second home for me," he expressed. "Coming down to Weyburn when I applied for this job, I spent a day when I was doing my fitness exams, and got a feel for the city, and what everyone was like, and what the department was like, and so it was like stepping into something from my childhood it was really familiar to me."

"Weyburn is a really welcoming place. I've had nothing but great interactions with everyone I've met and everyone on the fire service has been very, very welcoming to me, 'the new guy from the big city'. They've all taken me under their wing and and really made me feel part of the community."

"I really love the ability to be out in the Community and helping people like being a firefighter. You're prepared to help people on potentially the worst day of their lives, but I enjoy the other side, which is being there to on the preventative side, the educational side."

He said pre-COVID, he enjoyed touring groups, in-school education, and meeting members of the community at various events.

"It's definitely a very big part of what we do," he noted.

Hnatiuk said he also enjoys taking advantage of the ongoing training provided through Weyburn Fire Services.

"It's a great time for me to get to know everyone in the department a little more home skills that we don't get to practice every day because Weyburn is a pretty safe city," he commented.

Hnatiuk said he's looking forward to getting to know everyone in in the city, to get onto some volunteer group boards, and more.

"I really love sports, so I'm hoping to either have some volunteer presence in either coaching or officiating basketball," he shared.