Pincher Creek Emergency Services is inviting residents of the town and MD of Pincher Creek and Piikani Nation to take an active role in shaping plans, policies and initiatives through a newly formed community advisory committee. 

Although in its infancy stages, the committee is intended to bring a diverse mix of local voices into the fold to help shape the planning and policy side of local emergency services, while providing crews with an outside perspective.

The committee will meet quarterly to discuss a variety of topics, like emergency response priorities, public safety initiatives, and how the department can best meet the needs of a growing and increasingly diverse population. Participants will have the opportunity to not only review plans but also provide input on new ideas and share feedback with the public.

According to Chief Pat Neumann, the new committee is intended to ensure that the department remains responsive to and representative of all groups of people it serves. 

“We’re becoming quite a diverse community, so making sure that we’re meeting the needs of everybody within our community and understanding what their needs are is something that could fall into policy design,” he says.

While provincial regulations dictate certain operational standards that must be adhered to, there’s room to adapt certain local policies and procedures based on local insights from those beyond the fire hall’s walls.

“There’s this perception that we come, we do our job, we leave, and that’s it, but we’re no different than any other business in town — we want to make sure that we’re doing right by the people of our community,” Neumann explains.

The idea for the committee stems from a recent review of PCES’s organizational practices, in which community input and engagement were marked as an area for improvement. 

This new approach aims to replace one-off consultations and open houses to gather feedback with more consistent and meaningful input from interested residents to share their perspective.

While topics have yet to be set in stone, the committee is expected to initially focus on emergency medical services and will likely expand into fire and rescue discussions in the future. 

To get the most out of this new committee, the department is looking for applicants with a variety of backgrounds, particularly those with experience in community service, business or government. 

While a higher education is not a requirement, PCES is seeking professionals that wish to work collaboratively with first responders.

“We’re looking for people with a diverse background, people that want to be a part of the committee to help better the organization, not to pick a bone with us necessarily,” Neumann explains.

Members are expected to take a few hours ahead of the quarterly meetings to prepare, followed by a few hours to participate in the meetings themselves.

“It’s not a huge time commitment, but it does take initiative and genuine interest to help improve the service,” Neumann says.

Ultimately, PCES hopes that the committee will help create a stronger link between the public and first responders, leading to more transparent decision-making and a shared sense of ownership in local safety.

Residents of the town and MD of Pincher Creek, including Cowley, Lundbreck and Beaver Mines, as well as residents of Piikani Nation, are eligible to apply. Applications are due by Oct. 26, and can be completed online by visiting pincherfire.ca/commadvisory.  

Those seeking more information regarding the committee are encouraged to reach out to Deputy Chief Sariah Brasnett at sariah.brasnett@pincherfire.com or call 403-627-5333.