Lac La Ronge chief calls for more locals fighting Sask. fires

Amid stubborn, widespread forestfires in northern Saskatchewan, Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson is calling for a provincial fire strategy that utilizes more northern residents to fight fires.

The government has called in hundreds of military personnel and reservists to help, but Cook-Searsonbelieves there are enough localswilling to help.

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"We can fight this on our own," Cook-Searson said inan interview with CBC Radio."We can come together as people from Saskatchewan."

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Large swaths of the area Cook-Searson oversees as Chief have been placed under evacuation orders, including Air Ronge, La Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.

On Saturday, the large Egg fire had merged with the Eli fire. Spanning 95,000 hectares, it was within 1.5 kilometres of La Ronge.

Through work with emergency fire safety officials, "we've beenletting them know we need more of our people on the land;on the ground," she said.

"We know the land. We know the territory. This is our traditional land," she said.

Cook-Searson noted many of the firefighters working on foot to stop the blazes live in the areas where they're fighting fires.

"They know this land. They hunt and trap here," she said.

Along with the province, the Prince Albert Grand Council has trained 60 people to fight the wildfires; thirty more people will begin training on Monday.

By midday Monday, the provincial government reported it had begun training an additional 90 people for fire fighting, separate from the other 90 being trained jointly with the Prince Albert Grand Council.

Trainees require four days to get prepped and put on payroll.

According to reports, the province has loosened the rules as well,so that anyone who has taken the training in the past can pick up firefighting again. He or she would only need to retake a fitness test.

Cook-Searson knows residents and local people want to help, she said, based on responsesshe received from an appeal she issued last week.

When emergency management and fire safety officials gave her the go-ahead to put out a call for 250 firefighters, 700 people responded, she said.

"People want to work. They want to help."

"Northern and Saskatchewan people should come together," she added.