Rocky View County graduated 20 new part-time firefighters on May 23, following two weeks of training and station placement across the region, according to a County news release.
Eight new firefighters joined the Balzac Station, four were assigned to Elbow Valley, four to Bearspaw, and four to Springbank, the County said.
Acting Fire Chief John Evans said, “We have a composite staffing model, which is exactly that. We have career fire stations and paid-per-call fire stations.”
“Our budget allows us for 230 positions, which, right now, we have 36 full-time positions, 120 part-time firefighters, and 80 of the paid-per-call firefighters,” he said.
Evans said the four career stations — Elbow Valley, Springbank, Bearspaw and Balzac — use full-time and part-time firefighters. The three paid-per-call stations are located in Madden, Keoma, and Langdon.
“In addition to that, we have two contracted service partners in Redwood Meadows and Crossfield, so they help in those areas that we don’t have a station,” Evans said. “And then we have several mutual aid agreements. So, between all of that, we are able to flex our resources to meet most of our operational needs throughout the county.”
He said that if additional support is needed, “we would move other resources or call on resources from other areas of the county or other neighbouring communities to assist with those larger-scale events.”
Recruitment for part-time roles continues on an annual basis. “Last year we hired 18, this year we hired 20,” Evans said. “I think last year’s applicant pool was well over 100, and I think this year was in the same neighbourhood, maybe a little bit less. So lots of interest.”
Evans said retention presents a different challenge.
“Our biggest challenge is related to retention. With our part-time staffing model, we select many fantastic candidates who are looking for a full-time career,” he said. “With the growth in the region and our various neighbouring communities that also have ongoing recruitment — however, they use a full-time staffing model — we lose great candidates annually for that.”
He said, “All of our paid-per-call people are fantastic, but a number of them are community residents. They just want to give back to their community. They have their occupations, their professions, and it’s a value add to the community. Then there’s a percentage of those people living in those communities that aspire to be career firefighters, and when they get an opportunity, they’re going to either move on to a part-time model and/or a full-time model somewhere else.”
Training for the new class lasted two weeks. Evans said each recruit is required to hold NFPA 1001 Level II firefighting certification, first aid training, and a driving credential for fire apparatus before being considered.
“Once they’re offered a position, we then take two weeks to see where they’re at,” he said. “We expose them to protocols… We want to make sure that they’re doing it the way that our staff are trained to do it, so that we minimize risk and create efficiencies.”
Evans said the training prepares new members for a wide range of environments and scenarios.
"Throughout the County, there are structure fires, grass fires. We have waterless areas where we require tenders in order to move water, where we don’t have hydrants. Then there are the MVCs and a lot of the medical calls. It’s two weeks of just getting them up to speed… so that we can support their growth as they venture into a career with us.”
Rocky View County said, “Our firefighters respond to a wide range of emergencies and services, including motor vehicle collisions, grass and structure fires, medical emergencies, hazardous material containment, water and ice rescues, permitting, fire code compliance, prevention, public education, and fire investigations. Occasionally, they even help with the occasional cat stuck in a tree.”
Evans said the department has seen changes in the types and frequency of calls.
“Overall, we are seeing the trend that we have is about 18 per cent increase in calls year over year, which is speaking to the growth and the need that we have,” he said. “And that’s all the call types. So medicals are increasing by that starter number, vehicle fires and motor vehicle accidents, structure fires, grass fires — it’s all in the same trend.”
Mental health resources were part of the onboarding program. Evans said, “I’m proud to say that Rocky View County has a robust and comprehensive mental health and support program. Here in the County, it is one of, I believe, one of the best ones going.”
He said incoming firefighters from neighbouring departments gave positive feedback. “Their feedback was that there’s a second to none — their education that they got, the exposure to what support pieces are in there.”
“Has it evolved? Absolutely,” Evans said. “In my 30-year career, there was a stigma attached to mental health. There weren’t the resources that were there in the previous decades, and the industry has come a long way.”
Evans said the current class includes a broader mix of applicants.
“We have seen — and the hiring has reflected — the pool of candidates with that broad range,” he said. “We had one female firefighter successful this year. We had two female firefighters successful in our last year recruitment. We’ve also got representation from some other cultures. So it’s been a real cross mix of success.”
Evans, who spent most of his 30-year career in urban fire service, said he has observed a different dynamic in Rocky View County. “Going out to grass fires, where we’ve got limited resources, and you’ll see the farmers in the field helping out,” he said.
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