ResponderTHE ALBERTA FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION February 2014 The Bell Still Tolls A Million Times Better Than You and Me! Edmonton’s Ken Block— Canada’s Fire Chief of the Year February 2014 | 1 2 | The Responder ResponderTHE ALBERTA FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION CONTENTS 5 From the Publisher The Responder is the official publication of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association. The magazine is 6 Message from Trent R. West, Fire published twice a year. Commissioner of Alberta The publication is distributed free of charge to 7 New STARS Helicopter for Southern emergency services personnel throughout Alberta, Alberta Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. In addition, The Responder is distributed to urban 7 90 Years Old and Still on Duty and rural municipalities, Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and other organizations with 8 The Bell Still Tolls an interest in fire and related emergency services. 12 How Did 1,000 Animals Die in One Publication Mail Agreement: 40065432 Spot? Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: A Million Times Better Than You and Me! Rose Country Advertising & Public Relations 14 11904 -113 Avenue Recognition for Outstanding Edmonton, Alberta 16 Contribution Canada T5G 3C2 You’re Invited Phone: 1.800.661.4278 18 Fax: 780.452.2890 County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Email: [email protected] 20 Service Set to Meet Demand in an Expansive Region Publisher/Editor Brian Stecyk The Colour of the Badge Doesn’t Matter [email protected] 24 Advertising Sales 26 Edmonton’s Ken Block —Canada’s Fire Kelley Johnston Chief of the Year [email protected] 29 What You Don’t Know About CO Can Creative Director Kill You Margaret Horton [email protected] 30 Hundreds of Reasons to Visit Grande Prairie Copyright 2014, RC and AFCA. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be 34 Is PINK the Answer? reproduced by any means in whole or in part without the expressed written consent of the Cover Photo: Fire fighter Brendan Braes is a Paid-on-Call Fire publisher or the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association. fighter who has worked with the County of Grande Prairie since 2011. That followed six years as a volunteer fire fighter with the Town of Sexsmith. February 2014 | 3 rates to municipalities has been completed and new rates will be announced soon. Recruitment and retention is still a priority and plans are underway for additional activity this year. We will be helped along with some corporate sponsorship for our initiatives. A highlight of 2013 was extending congratulations on your behalf to Daniel Kootenay, Fire and Safety Advisor of the Yellowhead Tribal Council and Fire Chief Oscar Cotton Dear Friends, of the Blood Tribe on their receipt of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. It has been busy since our convention. We have been working hard to ensure the interests of the AFCA are I extent hearty thanks to Chief Dan Lemieux of Grande heard by governments at all levels. Prairie and Chief Everett Cooke for the hard work they are doing in making arrangements for the 2014 conference This last fall I participated in the Alberta First Nations in Grande Prairie. They are developing a unique and Technical Advisory Group Conference; the Alberta interesting program. I encourage all of you to attend to Association of Municipal Districts and Counties take in the conference and take in the experience of the Conference; and the Alberta Urban Municipalities South Peace country. I guarantee you will enjoy it. Conference; the Alberta Emergency Management Summit and a meeting with former municipals affairs Minister Bill Purdy Doug Griffiths. I also attended regional meetings in Cold Executive Director, AFCA Lake and Red Deer. Deputy Chief Wabamun Fire Department Progress on the 2013 conference resolutions has been steady. The resolution related to Alberta Transportation 4 | The Responder From the Publisher I recently travelled One thing you will learn about is dinosaurs. Did you to Grande Prairie know that one of the largest ever fossilized dinosaur to meet with the bonebeds was discovered on Pipestone Creek near organizers of Wembley? If you are a golfer you will enjoy the annual the 2014 AFCA golf tournament at the Grande Prairie Golf and Country Convention. Chief Club—I certainly will. Everett Cooke and Chief Dan Lemieux I look forward to seeing many of you again in Grande are working hard Prairie next June. to ensure this year’s convention is one of the best ever. Brian Stecyk Their intent is to provide a venue The next issue of The Responder for education will be distributed at the AFCA and discussion while at the same time to give you Conference. Be sure to contact us an opportunity to experience the Peace Country. A early if you wish to be part of it. person in Red Deer last June commented about Grande Prairie as being “too far to go.” What he fails to recognize is that it is the same distance from as it is to Grande Prairie and fire fighters from the north always attend the convention when it is held in Red Deer or Edmonton. This issue will introduce you to some of the character and things you may experience during your visit next spring. You will be amazed by the modern City of Grande Prairie and the beauty and industry in the surrounding County of Grande Prairie and MD of Greenview. Hopefully, you will extend your visit and see The Honey Capital of Canada, Falher, where 40 per cent of Canada’s honey is produced; Beaverlodge with its giant beaver; the gravesite of Twelve Foot Davis in Peace River; the beauty of the Blueberry Mountain area west of Rycroft and Spirit River, or the lakes and forests near High Level. There is something for everyone. You won’t regret taking the time to explore it. February 2014 | 5 Message from Trent R. West, Fire Commissioner of Alberta I’d like to welcome of Albertans. Effective collaboration of the public safety everyone to the system through the support of municipal leaders and first Alberta Fire Chiefs response organizations was clearly demonstrated during Association annual last year’s emergency responses and disastrous floods conference. This year’s and is the future of progressive change. theme “Collaborating for Progressive Change” Your communities are very fortunate to have the is an excellent reminder continued support and commitment of councils and of the success of the emergency response organizations to their public safety. past and the goals of our future. I look forward to working with the association and other Ministries and agencies in this collaborative system. All Your organizations the very best. have a proud history steeped in tradition and those ways support local issues and the local work effectively. It is Trent R. West important to evolve and develop collaborative systems Alberta Fire Commissioner needed to ensure excellence in response to the safety Proudly supporting the fire services of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne • Alberta Beach • Gunn • Sangudo • Alexis Nakota • Lac Ste. Anne • Sunset Point Sioux Nation County • Whitecourt • Blue Ridge • Mayerthorpe • Wildwood • Cherhill • Niton Junction • Woodlands • Darwell • Onoway County • Entwistle • Parkland County • Yellowhead • Evansburg • Peers County • Fallis • Rich Valley • Gainford • Rochfort Bridge 227 Legislature Building 10800 - 97 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6 Phone: 780-415-9550 Fax: 780-415-9411 [email protected] Box 3618 4811 Crockett Street FDM Records Management Mayerthorpe, AB T0E 1N0 for Fire and EMS Phone: 780-786-1997 Fax: 780-786-1995 Fast, accurate and easy to use. Toll-Free: 1-800-786-7136 Comprehensive modules, from Incidents to [email protected] Training to Reporting and BI. George VanderBurg, MLA Whitecourt-Ste. Anne Constituency CAD | RMS | BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE vanderburg.mypcmla.ca Sign up for the eNewsletter fdmsoft.com 800.986.9941 6 | The Responder New STARS Helicopter for Southern Alberta Thanks to a successful fundraising campaign a new in Edmonton. The helicopters will enhance access to $16 million STARS helicopter is now providing services emergency pre-hospital critical care through more rapid from its Calgary base. response, an expanded service area, a larger medical interior, powerful lift capacity, and a de-icing system that The helicopter is the second of two new donor-funded will enable flight during adverse weather conditions. AW139s with the first being unveiled last December 90 Years Old and Still on Duty In the 2012 Spring/Summer issue of The Gazette, (now The Responder), an article highlighted the career of Canada’s longest serving fire fighter—Walter Thomas. It is now 66 years since he joined the Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department and he is still a member, serving as department historian. He received a special honour earlier this year with the opening of the Walter Thomas Fire Hall. Friends, relatives, dignitaries, fellow fire fighters and especially his great grandson joined in the unveiling. Congratulations Three generations of fire fighters—Walter Thomas; Grandson, Kristopher Liber; and Great- Walter! Grandson, Ethan Liber. February 2014 | 7 TheBell still TollsBy Brian Stecyk This is a state of the art emergency“ “ response dispatch centre. Grande Prairie covers 40 per cent of it from Fox Creek in the south to the NWT in the north and from the Town of Slave Lake in the east to the BC border in the west. Imagine taking care of an area of 284,595 sq. kilometres. Chief Dan Lemieux The dispatch centre handles every 911 call for this vast Do you live in southern Alberta? area. RCMP calls are relayed to Edmonton, EMS to Peace River and the Grande Prairie Centre dispatches 65 You do if you live south of a line that would pass through fire departments. The main call centre is located in the Whitecourt, just north of Fort Assiniboine and Bonnyville.