The Emergency Services Department is responsible for four divisions with-in the MD of Willow Creek. The Emergency Services Department helps facilitate the Health and Safety program, Disaster/Emergency management and planning, the Community Peace Officer Program and all Fire Rescue Services with-in Willow Creek.
The residents of the MD of Willow Creek are protected by nearly 120 volunteer firefighters and 3 dual role employees hired to oversee the Fire Service delivery, Disaster Management and the Community Peace Officer program with-in the MD of Willow Creek. Our firefighters respond from one of the 5 fire stations located in Willow Creek. The MD of Willow Creek utilizes Nanton, Stavely, Claresholm and Fort MacLeod as contracted Fire Services partners and operates one fire station located in the Hamlet of Granum. In total Willow Creek Emergency Services operates 35 pieces of firefighting apparatus.
During a community emergency, the MD of Willow Creek activates emergency plans at varying levels, leading to a reorganization of key municipal staff as an Emergency Coordination Centre structure or, for larger scale incidents, as an Incident Management Team. Emergency Social Services is part of the Municipal Emergency Management plan and focuses on the social impact of an emergency situation on community members. The ESS response ensures that resident's basic needs are met, provides support and referrals and takes steps to engage local organizations in collaboratively meeting those needs. As mandated by the Government of Alberta, each municipality must have a Director of Emergency Management.
The MD of Willow Creek employs 2 full time Community Peace Officers and 1 dual role officer. The Community Peace Officers help ensure our communities are safe and secure places where we can live, work and raise families. They perform a number of duties from enforcing various Municipal bylaws, the Traffic Safety act and weight and dimensions regulations to providing educational programs to all residents of the municipality and the contracted towns through workshops, in-services and public engagement with the citizens.
