Red Deer County deploys to assist with wildfires in Alberta
Red Deer County Fire Services send fire apparatus, tenders and 12-person crew
(RED DEER COUNTY) On May 4, 2023, Red Deer County personnel responded to a request for assistance from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency to assist with incident management on the Buck Creek Wildfire in Drayton Valley and Brazeau County. In addition to providing support to the Buck Creek Wildfire, Red Deer County has also sent frontline fire personnel to Yellowhead County in the Wildwood area.
Red Deer County personnel are members of the Central Region All-Hazards Incident Management Team (CRAHIMT) which is a multidisciplinary team of individuals from central Alberta municipalities and agencies who have incident management training for large-scale emergencies. An incident management team comprised of CRAHIMT and South Zone AHIMT members along with Alberta Wildfire personnel is supporting municipal staff from the Town of Drayton Valley and Brazeau County during this difficult time.
Red Deer County also has 12 fire personnel deployed with four pieces of fire apparatus to support wildland urban interface fire suppression efforts: 2 bush trucks, a tactical water tender, and an engine.
“Red Deer County is proud to provide the administration, equipment and leadership to this team, we will continue to support the evolving wildfire situation with our available resources as long as required,” states Dave Dittrick, Assistant County Manager.
Mayor Jim Wood and Council expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the courageous personnel in providing provincial support, “our hearts pour out for everyone who has had to leave their home and businesses; we are extremely thankful to have such high caliber staff that are leaders in the emergency management field and are readily available to respond quickly in these unprecedented times.”
Current deployments do not affect Red Deer County’s fire capacity and key staff members remain in Red Deer County to ensure emergency management and day-to-day needs are met, and service levels are maintained.
A reminder that a Fire Ban is still in effect in Red Deer County. For comprehensive 2023 wildfire updates go to:
https://www.alberta.ca/emergency.aspx
To stay up to date with Red Deer County, visit www.rdcounty.ca or go to our Twitter and Facebook pages.
For more information:
Dave Dittrick
Director of Corporate Services, Red Deer County
ddittrick@rdcounty.ca
403.357.2159
Dave Brand
Director of Emergency Management, Community and Protective Services, Red Deer County
dbrand@rdcounty.ca
403.357.2371
38106 Range Road 275, Red Deer County, Alberta T4S 2L9
News Releases can be found at www.rdcounty.ca/News