AFCA Logo
cart-icon 0
No products in the cart

2nd Vice President Nomination Update Plus Third and Final Call for Nominations

by | May 1, 2024 | Announcements, General News, Uncategorized

Hello AFCA Members;

The AFCA office has received another nomination for the 2nd Vice President position. Chief David Mohl of Hanna Fire Department was nominated by Ken Hubbard, Fire Chief, Manager, Fire Services and Emergency Management, Rocky View County

Chief Mohl has, after giving it much thought, has respectfully declined. 

Today is the third and final call for nominations for the 2nd Vice President position. This third call will expire at noon tomorrow May 2nd. Then an email will be sent to eligible voters to capture your vote. As of today, our candidates are:

Fire Chief, Rob Evans, Redwood Meadows Emergency Services

Fire Chief, Trevor Grant, County of Grande Prairie Fire Services

Nominations can be sent to [email protected]

Have a safe day everyone!

Nomination for 2nd Vice President Received

by | Apr 30, 2024 | Announcements, General News

Update AFCA Members!

Trevor Grant, Fire Chief, Fire Services County of Grande Prairie has been nominated for the position of 2nd Vice President by Deputy Chief Julien Bergeron of Northern Sunrise County Protective Services and seconded by Chief Brian Kroes, Central Peace Fire & Rescue Commission. Chief Grant is currently Region 1 Alternate Director and has served on the Board and various AFCA Committees for over two years.

Chief Grant has accepted this nomination and allowed his name to stand.

We have an election folks! The voting email will come out once the 3rd and Final Call for Nominations has expired, which will be Thursday May 2nd at noon. There will be a ten-day window to cast your vote. Please watch for the email which will be sent by Survey Monkey with [email protected] attached to it.

Thank you!

𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

by | Apr 30, 2024 | Announcements, General News

Hello AFCA members,

Today marks the second call for nominations for the 2nd Vice President position. Chief Rob Evans, from Redwood Meadows has allowed his name to stand, supported by a nomination from Aaron Floyd, Deputy Chief, Whitecourt Fire Department.

A prerequisite for the 2nd Vice President position is that nominees must have served a minimum of one year on the AFCA Board. This service does not need to be on the current Board but can be from any time they have previously served on the Board.

Additionally, a question has been posed about whether there will be an election for AFCA Director at Large – Rural Membership. The answer is yes. Elections for both the Urban and Rural Director at Large will occur after the 2nd Vice President position has been resolved. This sequencing allows candidates who are not successful in securing the 2nd Vice President position to consider running for either the Rural or Urban Director at Large positions. Please note, the current bylaws do not specify prerequisites for Director at Large positions other than requiring candidates to be active AFCA members.

Questions from our membership are always welcomed!

Nominations for 2nd Vice President can be sent to [email protected]

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁

by | Apr 29, 2024 | Announcements, General News

Hello AFCA Members:

Proceeding along with establishing 2024 AFCA Leadership, it is now time to move forward with the determination of the 2nd Vice President position! This is a two year position expiring in 2026.

The role of the 2nd Vice President as outlined in the AFCA Bylaws:

1. Perform any duties assigned by the Bylaws, the Board, or the President;
2. In the absence of the First Vice-President, assume the duties and responsibilities of that position;
3. In the absence of the First Vice-President and the President assume the duties and responsibilities of the President’s position;
4. If the position of Past President is vacant, chair the Nominating Committee.

Chief Rob Evans of Redwood Meadows has expressed to allow his name to stand for the position of 2nd Vice President. Rob has been a long serving member of the AFCA Board and Executive by previously holding the position of 2nd Vice President since 2019.

Should there be other candidates, please consider this as the First Call for Nominations for the position of 2nd Vice President.

Nominations can be sent to [email protected]

Second, and Third calls for nominations will commence at noon each day, with each call providing members with a 24-hour window to respond. Should there be additional nominations received, the electronic election vote will start Thursday May 2nd at noon via a secure email to AFCA members eligible to vote.

Thank you everyone for your continued participation!

AFCA Chiefs in the Legislature a Success!

by | Apr 24, 2024 | General News

A Resounding Success at the Legislature

Celebrating the Triumph of the Fire Chiefs Event

The inaugural Fire Chiefs at the Legislature event marked a significant milestone, showcasing the dedication and unity of our firefighting community across Alberta. The event not only highlighted the critical discussions around fire safety and management but also celebrated the overwhelming positive reception of our department challenge coins by Ministers and the Premier.

Read Alberta Legislature Hansard of Our Visit

Celebrating Leadership and Success

Making Connections With Our Leaders

Strategic Initiatives for Enhanced Fire Management

Provincial Wildfire Strategy & Wildland Urban Interface Program Review

In response to the increasing challenges posed by wildland fires, we are advocating for a robust Provincial Wildfire Strategy that aims to enhance collaboration between government ministries, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), Alberta Municipalities (AM), and other key stakeholders. The strategy focuses on developing a sustainable framework for managing large-scale wildland fires outside the Forest Protection Areas of Alberta. This includes boosting funding and provincial capabilities for FireSmart programs and ensuring that municipalities outside Forest Protected Areas have access to specialized wildland fire resources, such as Fire Behaviour Analysts. Additionally, we proposed the establishment and maintenance of seasonal wildland fire suppression crews to bolster our readiness and response capabilities.

Parallel to this, a comprehensive review of the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) program is crucial. Our goal is to ensure the program remains effective and responsive to the needs of our communities and the evolving environmental conditions. The review will involve a detailed examination of the WUI-Structural Protection program’s effectiveness, the development and delivery of training across Alberta’s Fire Services, and the accessibility of training materials to all fire departments and training officers in Alberta. To foster inclusivity and comprehensive feedback, the program’s administration is recommended to engage a diverse committee of fire service leaders, including representatives from municipalities within and outside forest protection areas, First Nation and Metis communities, and post-secondary institutions. Establishing a Provincial Fire Services Advisory Committee (see more below) is envisioned to oversee these initiatives, ensuring a coordinated approach across multiple ministry portfolios to address the complex challenges of fire management in Alberta.

Learn More About the Need for A Provincial Wildfire Strategy
Learn More About the Need to Review the Wildland Urban Interface Program

The Need for a Provincial Fire Services Advisory Committee

The formation of a Provincial Fire Services Advisory Committee is crucial to effectively address the complex and varied challenges facing fire services throughout Alberta. By bringing together expertise from various sectors, the committee will play a pivotal role in enhancing the coordination and effectiveness of fire management strategies, ensuring that our communities remain safe and well-protected against the increasing threat of wildfires.

Learn More About the Advisory Committee

Addressing Fire Fighter Pensions

AFCA passed a resolution to explore volunteer firefighter pension plan. The current situation is volunteer firefighters and others in less-than-part-time roles currently can’t participate in Alberta’s public service pension plans. We shared with Government officials we met with that we are working with Alberta Counsel to provide research into what is occurring in other provinces such as BC and Ontario, to develop the background for considerations.
We have an open invitation to meet with Local Authorities Pension Plan to discuss what a pension could look like and approach that avenue when the appropriate time comes.
We feel this would be an attraction to recruitment and retention for volunteer and paid on call firefighters.

We are also advocating for reducing the Firefighter pension factor from eighty-five (85) to eighty (80). Again, we emphasized with engaged MLAs that we are asking for support to engage Alberta Pensions Services Corporation, Alberta Municipalities, to explore pension changes to acknowledge the increased health risks firefighters and chief fire officers face by reducing the pension factor from eighty-five (85) to eighty (80) similar to other provinces.

Firefighters in Alberta have historically been treated the same as office employees in terms of pensionable time. Evidence based research shows that occupational risks such as cancer, occupational stress injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, amongst other psychological and health illnesses and injuries are higher in firefighters than the average population. Those firefighters who dedicate tenures of long-service to their communities and the Province of Alberta deserve adequate recognition and support in their retirement from the fire service.  In all conversations there is quiet high level support for this concept of change, however the Pension reform will take time, however aligning ourself with the right people working on this initiative will continue to move this forward.

Join Us for Future Triumphs

Building on the success of our recent Fire Chiefs at the Legislature event, we invite you to stay engaged as we continue to shape the future of fire services in Alberta.  Updates of the ripple affect our first Alberta Fire Chiefs Association day at the Legislature will be forthcoming and posted here in our Advocacy updates. 

Stay Informed