Rankin Inlet Fire Chief Mark Wyatt has been overseeing the New Year's Eve fireworks display in Rankin Inlet for the past eight years.
Wyatt said the display has stayed fairly consistent during that time.
And, he said, he's used a few different people to help with the display as the years rolled past.
“I had to train new people again this year, but it's going well,” said Wyatt. “We're going to expand the show next year, I think.
“Training is all about the explosive standards, how to tie fireworks together and how to properly light them safely — everything that goes into putting together a show.”
Wyatt said the length of each show varies, with this year's display being a little shorter than most, clocking in at about 13-minutes.
He said the shows are run consistently. It's not a case of just lighting one firework, then the next and then the next.
“We try to do multiple things to make it all look better and it usually ends up looking pretty good.
“Everybody seems to like a fireworks show. I mean, at the end of the show, all the horns are honking and everything. It's kind of like applause and it's nice to hear.
“People love it.”
Wyatt said the fire department loves putting on the fireworks display every year.
He said a performance such as the one folks saw in Rankin Inlet this year costs about $6,000.
“Really, that's not that expensive for what we do. And that doesn't include the two or three days where they're working to get everything ready.
“Basically, we sort out all the shells, bring everything inside, organize the sequence of how things are going to go and tie the shots together, so that you're not lighting each firework individually.
“With two-inch shells, we fire 13 at a time, while, with three-inch shells, we usually go five or 10 at a time and four-inch shells are two to four at a time. You've got all the cakes, as well, that need to be organized in terms of what we're going to fire first and second.”
Wyatt hasn't picked anyone to take his place with the fireworks when he finally decides to leave the North. He said that's still a bit further down the road yet.
“I've got a few good people now, but I don't know whether the person, when I leave, is going to be somebody from this department or if they'll hire from outside again. It's hard to say.
“I've got three or four really good guys right now and a lot of pretty good guys. The whole department is good, but some people are more dedicated than others. There's a couple I'm probably going to put through the full firefighter training through the Ontario Fire Academy, and then send them to Alberta for practical stuff this summer, if I can get it accepted.
“I'd like to spend a bunch of money on a couple of good firefighters to get them professionally trained to the point where they can bring back that knowledge and help with training here, as well.
“For the money that we invest into it, I think it's going to be money well spent.”
