This release was issued under a previous government.
Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee tests her firefighting skills along with firefighters from the Ermineskin Cree Nation
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.
“Local firefighters and emergency responders provide an invaluable service to their communities. These men and women, many of whom are volunteers, brave dangerous situations in order to protect the public. Our government is proud to invest in emergency preparedness training as just one of the ways we will continue to help these individuals who help others.”
This 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.
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. 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.