Smoky River Fire and Rescue has 35 volunteer firefighters to serve the region. Fire Chief Marcel Maure conducts training with them every Wednesday evening. Last winter, they conducted training in the freezing water at the water pond in Falher. On Sept. 9, they conducted flashover training. The fire chief brought in a specialized metal container on a trailer for the training, which was held at the Smoky River Emergency Services building in Falher. They conducted four training runs, entering the trailer to witness the properties of a flashover fire. On Sept. 27, they went to Girouxville for a rescue exercise, which will be featured in the Oct. 18 edition of the Express. In June, the fire department celebrated the grand opening of the new fire hall in Falher.