Small communities across Alberta rely on volunteer firefighters to respond to emergencies ranging from grass fires to motor vehicle collisions. But in many town and villages, fire departments struggle with a lack of volunteers, outdated equipment and minimal training.
Over the past few years, however, Athabasca County has strengthened its commitment to its rural fire departments with improved training, updated equipment and at least one new fire hall. They understand and appreciate the vital role these volunteers play, and recognize that keeping them properly trained and equipped is the best strategy for recruiting new members.
And now, the county is taking another big step forward with the creation of a regional firefighter training centre near the Athabasca Regional Airport. A facility of this nature neatly fills the gap between the limited amount of training and practice that each rural department can provide, and the comprehensive (but expensive) training provided at full-fledged fire schools like Lakeland College in Vermilion.
More to the point, it seems that the county realizes there is experience and knowledge that can be shared locally, and expertise that can also be brought in to train others; all that’s needed is a place to host it.
And what’s more, by making the new training facility available to fire departments from neighbouring jurisdictions, it also provides a modest avenue for local economic development.
Kudos to Athabasca County for recognizing the importance of volunteer fire departments, and appropriately investing in them.
