The City of Leduc Fire Services is hosting the Alberta First Responder Symposium on May 24, 2026, at the Maclab Centre for the Performing Arts. This event offers first responders and interested community members an opportunity to gain practical skills while focusing on mental health and resilience in high-stress professions.
The symposium doors open at 8:15 a.m., with sessions running from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It features five expert presentations. Topics include pre-hospital management of patients with autism, burn injury care, death notification and grief, pediatric emergency management, and pediatric pain control. Guest speakers include pediatric emergency physician Dr. Peter Antevy and Dr. Joshua Bezanson, along with experts from the Firefighters Burn Treatment Unit, the Centre for Autism Services Alberta, and Edmonton Fire Rescue.
Registration for the event is $30 CAD, which includes lunch. Tickets can be purchased through the Maclab Centre website. The initiative continues a long-standing commitment to responder well-being in Leduc, spearheaded by local firefighter and artist Daniel Sundahl. Following a successful symposium in 2019, these sessions have remained a vital resource in a field where statistics show that public safety personnel are twice as likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder compared to the general population.
This event aligns with broader provincial efforts to support those on the front lines, including the Alberta First Responders Association, which has been working to improve mental health support across the province. Additionally, the Government of Alberta has committed up to $1.5 million for the 2026-27 period through grant programs aimed at funding mental health services and research for emergency workers.
