Latest news with #DavidLazenby
CTV News
31-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
EFRS welcomes 59 new firefighters and staff
City hall opened its doors on Friday to celebrate the graduation of the city's newest Edmonton Fire Rescue Services members. Fifty-nine new fire service professionals are joining EFRS: five will serve as emergency communications specialists, five as fire prevention officers and 49 as frontline firefighters. 'Our firefighters, having completed extensive and rigorous training, are now ready to serve Edmonton in fire suppression, protecting life, property and the environment,' said Chief David Lazenby. 'Complementing their efforts, Edmonton's fire prevention officers will play a critical role in public safety education, providing essential inspection services and guidance for safe homes and businesses.' The new Edmonton firefighters will get placed throughout all fire stations. Emergency communication specialists will be assigned to the Emergency Response Communication Centre, while the fire prevention officers will offer inspection services and serve as educators around the city. Firefighter recruitment applications open each year in January.
Calgary Herald
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Calgary Herald
Sparking better behaviour: Teaching wildfire safety around northern Alberta
Article content With the long weekend's recreation ahead, Sturgeon County officials' state of local emergency remained in place, with total fire and OHV/ATV bans still in place as of Friday at noon. Article content Article content The Redwater Recreation Area remained closed by Alberta Parks, with a 3,230-hectare active fire being held but still active despite cooler weather and days of fighting a blaze that covered thousands of hectares. Article content Article content 'With the long weekend approaching, please keep in mind that the risk of wildfires is at an all-time high. No outdoor fires are allowed, and no new burn permits or fireworks permits will be issued,' said a release from the county. Article content Article content Anyone who witnessed a ban violation was urged to call the complaint line at 780-939-8418. Article content 'Firefighters continue to look for and extinguish remaining hot spots in the interior of the fire. This work takes time, as the fire has burned deeply into the ground in some areas. Helicopter support is available if required. Article content 'Firefighters need space to do their work safely. For your safety and the safety of first responders, please respect road closures and avoid burned areas,' the release said. Article content Getting FireSmart Article content FireSmart is a national program meant to help Canadians increase neighbourhoods' resilience to wildfires and minimize their negative impacts. Article content Article content It was founded in three decades ago to address common concerns about wildfire in the wildland-urban interface. Article content Article content Earlier this month, as Edmonton emergency responders juggled a rare three-alarm fire, a huge grass fire set tinder ablaze in northwestern Edmonton all in the same window. It was another reminder to Fire Chief David Lazenby that FireSmart prevention starts in the hearts and minds of Albertans. Article content For some urban cities, wildfires aren't a common threat, but with Edmonton's scenic River Valley and the green areas surrounding the city, there's corresponding risks — and being prepared means looking at everything from development to response, Lazenby said. Article content 'When we look at the wildland interface, that's a connection point between the River Valley and the community at the top of the River Valley there, we're building a whole city strategy. So it's not just the Fire and Rescue Service, it's city operations, it's urban planning,' Lazenby said.
Edmonton Journal
14-05-2025
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton unveils new disaster intake facility
Article content Last year, 1,800 evacuees from Wood Buffalo and 2,800 from Jasper tested the concept and functionality of the setup. 'We take great pride in supporting not only our own city itself, but obviously the community around us,' Robar said. 'We had great success in this model last year, in our setup, and now we've kind of made this a an ongoing thing for moving this space location permanently for the for the next five years.' The building got its first stress test last week as emergency responders juggled a rare three-alarm fire, a huge grass fire in northwestern Edmonton as well as a number of single-vehicle incidents — all in the same window, said Fire Chief David Lazenby. The REST facility is one part of the city's comprehensive emergency management program. 'Edmonton is prepared,' Lazenby said. 'In these changing times, we're making plans to ensure that should something happen, we're prepared to respond.'
CBC
06-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
New fire chief aims to tackle Edmonton's big problems amid increased calls for help
Social Sharing Edmonton's new fire chief says he is ready to lead more than 1,300 staff in a growing city as calls to respond to the drug poisoning crisis, homelessness and deliberately set fires continue to soar. David Lazenby has worked with the Edmonton Fire Rescue Services for two years and got the top job on Jan. 2 after being acting fire chief since last May. Lazenby, originally from England and having worked for 14 years at Ontario stations as a deputy chief and fire chief, said he noticed the gravity of the issues when he got to Edmonton. "It's just a much bigger problem. I've described it as being more akin to some of the experiences I had in the U.K. in terms of deliberately set fires and, and things like that," Lazenby said in an interview with CBC News this week. "I think some of it maybe is down to people's lifestyle or circumstances and the survival needs that they may have in terms of warming fires, cooking fires." He's confident that firefighters and EFRS staff are equipped for the work. "I'm incredibly proud of our staff because they do an amazing job and often in trying and challenging circumstances. So I think the level of care and service that we provide Edmontonians is beyond anything I've ever seen."Lazenby takes over from former chief Joe Zatylny who is a deputy managing director at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. WATCH | How Edmonton's new fire chief plans to manage skyrocketing calls for service: How Edmonton's new fire chief plans to manage skyrocketing calls for service 18 minutes ago Duration 2:03 Calls for service soar Overall calls to the Edmonton fire department — that includes 911 medical emergencies and fires — jumped 60 per cent from 54,157 in 2020 to 86,669 in 2024, the EFRS says. More than half the calls the fire department receives are for medical emergencies. Calls to medical events went up 50 per cent in the same period. Responding to non-structural fires soared 235 per cent, from 2,618 calls in 2020 to 8,783 in 2024. and calls to structural fires went up nearly 30 per cent from 1,494 in 2020 to 1,924 in 2024. Lazenby said he recognizes the stress and the impact the increase can have on mental health and well-being of fire service staff. "Undoubtedly when you know you've had such an increase in call volumes, it's going to take its toll on anybody. And our people are special people, but they're still human at the end of the day." He said having resources to address mental health and trauma is a priority. "You know, when you're seeing lifeless bodies day after day, it is going to take its toll even on even the most hardened and experienced of firefighter." Firehalls top priority Edmonton has 31 fire stations with three new ones in the process of being designed or built. Walker Fire Station has an approved budget of $1.14 million and is in the concept phase. Wellington Fire Station is also in the design phase, with an approved budget of $1.9 million. The $29 million Blatchford Fire Station is being built and will eventually replace the current Fire Station 8. Lazenby said one of the challenges over the next few years will be adding enough fire stations to meet the growing population in neighbourhoods in the south, southwest and northeast parts of the city. "We need to make sure that we're a fire service that can provide for all of those people, hopefully two million people," he said. Coun. Sarah Hamilton said her Ward sipiwiyiniw in the southwest needs at least two fire stations now. "I hear from residents all the time about how it's driving their insurance costs and housing costs," Hamilton said in a text message to CBC News. "Firehalls are an important, but less discussed part of keeping housing and cost of living affordable in our growing city." Despite the hurdles and challenges, Lazenby said he has a soft spot for Edmonton. "I like the lack of pretension. I just like the down-to-earthness," he said of Edmontonians. Along with the people of Edmonton, he's also a fan of the Oilers. "I started my Canadian fire service career in Brantford — a special place I would like to think in Edmontonians' heart — Wayne [Gretzky's] birthplace. I was fortunate enough to meet Walter, his father, who was a good friend of the Brantford Fire Department where I worked," he said.
