All-female crew makes history in Redwood Meadows
After 46 years, Redwood Meadows Emergency Services (RMES) is celebrating its first all female duty crew.
"A September 2020 report published by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs identified that despite there being approximately 152,650 firefighters (career and volunteer) in Canada, only about 4.4 per cent are women," said the RMES in a news release.
Thirty-one members are part of RMES, a professional volunteer-driven fire department, six of which are women.
"RMES proactively recruits for all forms of diversity within our membership including (but not limited to) age, gender, culture, sexual identity, lived experiences and profession," said fire chief Rob Evans.
The organization says the six-person crew has more than 50 years of collective experience and expertise.
"I couldn't be prouder of this history-making group of women, and (I'm) so grateful for their significant contributions to our department and the community," said Evans.
The 2024 Alberta wildfire season started on Feb. 20.
"This means that fire permits will be required for burning within the Forest Protection Area, except for a campfire," the RMES' website said.
"The early start is due to the drought conditions occurring in many areas of the province, which could lead to elevated fire danger if we do not receive significant rain in the spring."
In 2023, RMES attended 436 calls, the highest number of calls in the organization’s history.
(Supplied/RMES)
"We saw a notable increase in fire responses (in 2023) from previous years," said RMES.
"This can be attributed to great relationships with our partners in Rocky View which saw us getting asked to assist other departments on their fire calls."
Curious if there are fire restrictions, advisories, or bans in place in your area? Visit the Alberta Firebans website to learn more.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
'Oh, there you go': Tyler Black, son of veteran broadcaster Rod Black, has memorable Major League Baseball debut
Canadian baseball player Tyler Black made a major splash in his first-ever big league game for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.
Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.
Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.