Coaldale & District Emergency Services has responded to 483 calls for service in 2026 through early August, with 14 calls logged in the first part of the month alone. The department serves Coaldale, Alberta and surrounding Lethbridge County, and the numbers show a steady climb in demand on local volunteer firefighters.
According to the Coaldale & District Emergency Services, the team typically handles about 14 calls per 10-day period. The department has seen call volume rise about six per cent each year since 2016, and logged a record 466 incidents in 2020. With 483 calls already recorded before mid-August, 2026 is on track to continue the upward trend.
The department relies on 33 volunteer firefighters, but leadership has said the ideal roster is 45. Recruiting efforts are ongoing to add 12 more members to help manage the growing workload. The Town of Coaldale has supported volunteers with a property tax rebate program of up to $1,000 per year for firefighters who log at least 129 hours of service.
Recently, the Coaldale and District Volunteer Firefighter Association received a $31,000 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada to buy a Zoll AutoPulse NXT Chest Compression System for cardiac arrest calls. It was the first grant of its kind for a southern Alberta emergency agency.
The mission of Coaldale & District Emergency Services is to minimize the loss of life, property and the environment in the Town of Coaldale and Lethbridge County through emergency response, public education and fire prevention.
