Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Wayne Zandee is competing to be in the 2025 Saskatchewan Fire Fighters Calendar. Photos by Brian Zinchuk
He took up rigs to pay for fire college. Now, 45 years later, he’s a volunteer fighter in Carlyle
CARLYLE – What does a retired drilling company owner do after selling his company? Eventually he gets around to one of his dreams as a young man – becoming a fire fighter.
And if you’re going to be a fire fighter, you might as well compete to be in the Saskatchewan Fire Fighters 2025 calendar!
Wayne Zandee of White Bear/Carlyle is probably best known as the former president of Red Dog Drilling, an Estevan-based drilling rig operation. The company built and operated five drilling rigs over its 12 years in operation. The company was sold in 2017.
When Zandee was a young man, he took up work on drilling rigs back in 1979 as a way to pay to get into fire fighter school. However, as these things often go, the drilling rigs took over his life, and he ended up founding Red Dog Drilling in 2005 with his late wife Caroline.
“I’ve been a volunteer fire fighter for one and a half years now,” Zandee said. “I always wanted to be a fire fighter. I always had a passion for it, always wanted to see where the fire trucks were going, always wanted to be involved in it.
“When I was 18 in 1979, I started on the drilling rigs. And I ended up working on the drilling rigs till 2005. At that point, I bought in some drilling rigs and starting my own company. And we sold them in 2017, and I retired.
“But long story short is I wanted to get enough money ahead, so I could go to fire fighter college and be a fire fighter. The oilpatch drew me in and that’s where I stayed till 2017.”
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A year and a half ago, Zandee decided to join the local volunteer fire department in Carlyle. There, you might find him in the gym, doing underhand or overhand pullups. He might be doing dumbbell curls, or, more recently, whipping around those heavy ropes.
Zandee is one of 16 contestants in this year’s selection who are competed for the 12 spots in the 2025 Saskatchewan Fire Fighters Calendar.
“I would like to thank everybody for coming out and supporting the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. This is a very worthy foundation. I am very honored to be part of this calendar nightk in this gala that will be happening April 27. Without this funding, some of the technologies that are needed for this hospital wouldn’t be possible.
“I also wanted to get in shape. I didn’t do it for self image.”
You can vote online for the candidates here.
Enter the quantity of votes under each Fire Fighter’s name/photo.
One hundred per cent of proceeds goes to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. Charitable Tax Receipts can be issued by the charity for donations $40 or greater when placed online and selecting that option.
Votes are just $0.50 each. There is a minimum total order of $20.00 (or 40 total votes). Please increase your vote quantity so that the order total is at least $20.00 which will allow you to continue and submit.
And if you want to watch the video profiles of each candidate, they can be found here. There’s a $49.99 charge for a 24-hour viewing pass, but for a limited time, it can be had for $39.99. Again, all proceeds from the entire calendar project including Video Profiles viewing passes goes to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.
And finally, selection night is Saturday April 27, 2024
7:30 PM (Doors 6:45 PM) Conexus Arts Centre, Regina.
To buy selection night tickets, click here.
Regular tickets are $55 and VIP tickets are $75. And as of April 15, there are still tickets and tables available.
- 0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online
- 0053 Kingston Midstream Westspur Alameda Click0053 Kingston Midstream Westspur Alameda Click
- 0082 CsHM 2024 Pipeline0082 CsHM 2024 Pipeline
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0076 Latus only0076 Latus only
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0011
- 0006 JK Junior
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001