Alberta government provides grants to support fire and emergency preparedness training

The Government of Alberta announced on Wednesday that it will provide $650,000 to 50 municipalities and four First Nations to support fire and emergency preparedness training.

The Fire Services Emergency Preparedness Program provides grant funding to municipalities and First Nations to help local authorities and volunteers prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from fires and other emergency situations, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs noted in a press release. The grant program helps first responders develop the skills they need to respond effectively in fire and emergency events.

The program is especially crucial for smaller fire departments, which rely heavily upon the commitment of volunteer firefighters, the release said, and a priority is placed on applications that include regional collaboration. Grant recipients are encouraged to train together, so different municipalities and First Nations can find common ground to expand and enhance the emergency services they provide to residents in their region.

“The Ermineskin Cree Nation Fire Protection – Disaster Services provides critical, life-saving emergency response within our community and thanks to mutual aid agreements, our Nation is also asked to provide fire response to surrounding communities and neighbours,” said Randy Ermineskin, chief of the Erminsekin Cree Nation, in the release. “Provincial training grants help ensure our trained volunteers can enhance their expertise and practice their skills, so they are ready, and Ermineskin Cree Nation is ready, in case of an emergency.”

In 2016, Municipal Affairs will provide $500,000 to support fire training and $150,000 to support emergency management training.

Municipalities will be notified of their grant applications within the coming weeks.

The financial support came just days after the province announced nearly $25 million in grants to local governments for several flood mitigation projects. The grants are for five municipalities and one First Nation to build flood barriers, protect or relocate critical water management infrastructure and address public safety and access issues.