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Ottawa Fire Services hosts Ottawa 67’s team-building day

March 4, 2020, Ottawa – Ottawa Fire Services hosted the Ottawa 67’s for a full day of team building on March 3. Twenty-four hockey players aged between 16 and 21 joined firefighters at the OFS Training Centre where they had the opportunity to experience standard fire fighting tactics. All drills were team-oriented, namely a three-person hose advance to extinguish a working car fire, simulated rescue of an injured firefighter, navigation of a dark maze to simulate confined spaces, and forcible entry exercises.

“This type of team-building day is an excellent way to further develop communication skills, build trust and focus on teamwork – especially right before the playoffs” said André Tourigny, head coach for the Ottawa 67’s in a news release.

Ottawa Fire Services Deputy Chief Paul Hutt stated: “We are honoured to welcome the team for this type of exercise. Many of the skills these players are looking to develop are those that firefighters exhibit every day, on and off an incident scene.”

The partnership between Ottawa Fire Services and the Ottawa 67’s began when the team volunteered to help sandbag during last spring’s flood relief efforts.

Players and firefighters were wearing full protective gear during all exercises. Drills were performed under the watch of trained professionals and players’ safety was top priority.