Students, staff, and government employees at the University of Saskatchewan’s Prince Albert campus stepped outside Thursday morning for their annual fire-safety drill, a coordinated test designed to make sure everyone in the building knows how to respond when alarms sound.
Mark Doyle, the alternate fire marshal with the Ministry of Environment’s Forest Service branch, said the yearly drill is a key part of maintaining readiness across the building’s many tenants and university offices.
“There are many tenants in the building,” Doyle explained. “Each tenant probably has a little bit of a different twist on their evacuation procedure, but we all marshal at the same location and follow generally the same procedure.”
The Prince Albert Fire Department joined Thursday’s exercise, monitoring the evacuation and later meeting with the building’s fire marshals to review how it went.
“We’ve coordinated with the fire chief; they were here today too,” Doyle said. “We had a pre-meeting, and now we’ll have a wrap-up meeting to look for opportunities.”
The drill took a few minutes, but Doyle said the planning behind it is what ensures success. Each department and campus office updates routes, reviews safety checklists, and briefs new members before the alarms go off.
He added that regular drills build awareness and confidence, especially for students who may be new to the building or unfamiliar with emergency procedures.
“We do this every year to test our readiness,” he said. “We’re always looking for things that we can improve on from previous years.”
The Forest Service branch, a tenant of the Prince Albert campus building, works closely with the Ministry of Environment on wildfire management and land stewardship. Doyle said that background reinforces the importance of safety and prevention in every setting, even indoors.
The Prince Albert Fire Department’s participation highlights the city’s continued collaboration with educational institutions and provincial offices to promote public safety.
Thursday’s drill concluded smoothly, with all groups accounted for and a follow-up meeting planned to discuss improvements for next year.
“I think it went well,” Doyle said. “It’s about awareness, making sure everyone knows what to do, just in case.”
