Fire services

Mission

Cypress County Emergency Services strives to protect and serve the Municipality with dedication and commitment, and vows to provide the best service possible with the training and resources available in the areas of; fire suppression, emergency response, fire prevention, public education, and charitable community service.

Vision

To serve the citizens of Cypress County by providing high quality emergency and fire protection services, and to continue being a value centered fire department of which both the community and members are proud.

Values

Commitment | Trust | Teamwork | Courage | Integrity

These core values are essential to Cypress County Emergency Services that strive towards collaborative success. 


Fire services
Cypress County provides fire/rescue services to the entire county. The Cypress County Fire Emergency Services Department is led by the CAO, Director of Municipal Services, Fire Chief and Deputy Fire Chief. Stations are located in the hamlets of Dunmore, Irvine, Hilda, Schuler, Seven Persons, Walsh, Town of Redcliff (Box Springs) as well as Cypress Hills Provincial Park Elkwater and the Onefour area. In addition, the county as has fire trucks located in CFB Suffield and Jenner.

The mission of Cypress County Emergency Services is to protect lives, property, and the environment through quality emergency response and community involvement. This mission will be achieved by career and volunteer/paid on call professionals committed to excellence and dedicated to service in fire prevention, emergency medical co-response services, fire suppression, hazardous materials and natural disaster response. A service agreement is in place with the City of Medicine Hat to provide supplemental and specialty services when requested. Cypress County also has mutual aid agreements with surrounding municipalities to ensure that all emergency services are working together to provide effective and efficient to those in need.  

In November 2016, a fire master plan was adopted by council. The comprehensive plan reviewed, assessed and developed a series of recommendations for the county in an effort to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the fire department and to bring it to a level that minimizes risk while maximizing fire services to the community. Cypress County is diligently working on achieving those goals and is implementing the recommendations as laid out in the plan.  
 
Cypress County is proud of all the men and women dedicated, trained and committed to serving their communities and those in need. A list of each Station Chief and Deputy Chief can be found below.
 
 
Summary of Cypress County Fire Suppression Services Bylaw
Interesting facts:
  • The county is responsible for fighting and controlling fires as identified in two acts, the Forest and Prairie Protection Act and the Municipal Government Act.
  • Fire suppression personnel in Cypress County are primarily made up of volunteers with various levels of training.
  • The county is a vast and sparsely populated geographical region over 13,000 km2 which ultimately results in longer response times.
  • There is usually an inadequate supply of water to offensively suppress fires.
  • As a result, the county does not and cannot provide services at a level similar or equal to urban municipalities.

What it means:

  • Any structure or vehicle fires that occur may result in a total loss and fire suppression efforts can only attempt to provide protection to secondary exposures and attempt to prevent the fire from spreading.
  • The county has mutual aid agreements with all surrounding municipalities to either have them assist us or for the county to assist when required.
  • There are methods in place to recover fire fighting costs from the person or persons who caused the fire and for responding to dangerous goods spills and vehicle collisions.
  • The county monitors the dryness levels of the grasslands and when it reaches dangerous levels a fire control order is implemented prohibiting the lighting of fires.
As per the Fire Services Bylaw (Bylaw 2023/06), fire permits are required for ALL open burning.
The county will be at a minimum of a fire restriction between April 1 and Oct. 31 every year, and permits will be issued between Nov. 1 and March 31, weather permitting.
Fire permits are FREE, and valid for three days from the date of issue. The only exceptions are recreational fires and burn barrels with a fitted screen.

Fire permits temporarily disabled 

In order to ensure that residents have a clear understanding of the fire permitting process, a list of frequently asked questions and their answers have been compiled. Fire Permit FAQ

We are actively recruiting for members

Applicants with NFPA 1001 qualifications may be an exception for all stations.
 
To apply please download the application form and health questionnaire below, complete and submit either by:
 
 
Mail to:
Emergency Services Admin Assistant
Cypress County
816 - 2nd Ave
Dunmore AB
T1B 0K3


WHO ARE WE

Cypress County Emergency Services is comprised of one career Emergency Services Coordinator (Fire Chief), one Deputy Fire Chief and an Emergency Services Administrative Assistant. There are 9 Fire Stations in the County manned by approximately 140 paid on-call Firefighters. There are approximately 270 calls annually, the majority being grass fires, MFR’s and MVC’s. Cypress County Emergency Services serves a large geographic area including the communities of Box Springs, Seven Persons, Dunmore, Irvine, Schuler, Hilda, Walsh, Elkwater and One Four. We also provide mutual aid response to nearby communities on request. In addition to emergency response, Cypress County Emergency Services members are active in the community and involved in numerous charity events across the county. 

WHAT WE REQUIRE

  • Applicants must be at least eighteen (18) years of age 
  • Applicants must be legally eligible to work in Canada
  • Must have a valid Class 5 Alberta Driver’s license, prefer Class 3 with air endorsement, with less than 6 demerits
  • *Standard First Aid/CPR or be prepared to obtain certification prior to commencement of position
  • A Police Security/Criminal Records Check including vulnerable sector will be required

THINGS TO CONSIDER 

If you are successful in the recruitment, you are requirement to attend a minimum of 16 training events/practices per year to keep up your skills. Practices are generally held 2 days per month, usually a weeknight. In addition, you must be willing and able to participate in occasional weekend training programs.  You must be willing and available to respond to emergencies. You are comfortable performing physically demanding duties such as lifting and carrying heavy equipment, walking over a variety of terrain while wearing heavy personal protective gear. 

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Stage 1 Application

  • Complete the application form, health questionnaire and attach current your resume, indicate preferred department, and include copies of any applicable certification and submit for review.

Stage 2 Application Review

  • Applications are reviewed and screened to ensure applicant meets minimum criteria.
  • Successful applicants are contacted and scheduled for an interview.

Stage 3 Interview

  • Interviews will be conducted by the applicable Station Chief and or Deputy Station Chief as well as a member of Fire Administration and Human Resources.
  • Applicants must provide 2 -3 work references at the time of the interview. 

Stage 4 Offer

  • After completion of reference checks, Criminal Records Check including Vulnerable Sector and Driver’s Abstract, the applicant will be offered the position. Prior to commencing the position there is a requirement to attend a Safety Orientation.

Stage 5 Probation

  • New members must successfully complete a 6 month probationary period.