Although it takes place in Thunder Bay, a firefighter training course attracts participants from services across the region.
FireCon is a yearly conference and trade show that showcases new tools, training and more for firefighters.
On Wednesday, training crews were working on an extrication exercise to hone their skills in rescuing patients from vehicle-involved collisions.
Graham Warburton is both the fire chief in Atikokan and an instructor of this exercise.
Removing doors on both sides of the practice vehicles, and eventually removing roofs from cars as well, crews are being retrained on how to safely use equipment (like the jaws of life) while maintaining safety for the people they are attempting to save.
Eggs are used as a tool to recognize the effects of how strong these tools are, Warburton explained.
"The finite tool operation is so important when you're working around a patient that might be trapped in a vehicle. So we use eggs as a very delicate object to actually pinch and pick up and carry and put down somewhere else," said the fire chief.
He continued, "As they get more efficient at it, they break less eggs. It just helps them to learn how gentle you can operate some of this equipment."
Warburton added that having standardized training is crucial, especially when services arrive at scenes to assist other communities.
"If you have one fire service meeting another fire service to work on a larger incident, to have standardized training and understanding exactly how to remove patients is a key role for our for all members."
He added that it ensures everyone is on the same page for the next steps and keeps everyone safe.
Out of Dryden, Devin Noel is a training officer with Dryden's Fire Service and an instructor with the Ontario Fire College.
Noel touched on the ruralness of the communities in Northwestern Ontario.
"Being the main highway, Highway 17, or other highways in Northwestern Ontario, it's usually single-lane highways, so it's a lot different than southern Ontario, where you have multi-lanes. Usually when there's an accident, it can usually be pretty critical, and time on scene is usually pretty critical.
"Teaching the importance of responding fast, extricating fast will only be better to communities in the area and hopefully making a safer and better responders."
Both Noel and Warburton spoke about the "golden hour", which is the time period from when the incident occurs to when the patient sees a doctor, when are more likely to survive.
The tradeshow runs Sept. 9-13 at various locations across the city. It involves firefighters from across the region, including Oliver Paipoonge, Lappe, Greenstone, Dryden, Kenogami, Goulias, Terrace Bay, Fort Frances, and La Vallee.