Calgary city councillors' feet were held to the fire Friday, as they conducted a series of firefighting training drills under the watchful eye of the local firefighters' union.
Fire Ops 101: A Taste of the Job
Hosted at the Calgary Fire Department's training academy near Elliston Park, Fire Ops 101 aimed to give local lawmakers a taste of what an average day can be like for a Calgary firefighter. Nine councillors participated, including Kim Tyers, Jennifer Wyness, Andrew Yule, DJ Kelly, John Pantazopoulos, Nathaniel Schmidt, Myke Atkinson, Harrison Clark, and Mike Jamieson.
Decked out in full firefighting gear, they were put through a series of mock scenarios, including extinguishing a structure fire, a water rescue, an emergency medical response, and a vehicle extrication using the jaws of life. One of the calls came midway through the day's planned lunch break, highlighting that the siren can sound at any time.
"It's really driven home the point that the Calgary Fire Department is delivering important frontline services," said Clark. "We've gone into burning buildings, we've cut the roofs off cars, we've scoured lakes for individuals — it's been quite the day."
Union President's Perspective
Jamie Blayney, president of the Calgary Firefighters Association, which organizes the exercise, said the purpose was to expose elected officials to the scenarios firefighters can face in any given shift. "We can go and talk to councillors about what our days look like, but having them here to experience it with us is what really helps the conversation," the union president said. "We want to get them in our boots, in our gear, on the trucks, and just demonstrate a little bit about what a typical day is that we face every day."
Budget Context
This year's Fire Ops 101 comes six months before council deliberates Calgary's next four-year budget in November, which will determine the city's fiscal spending plan from 2027 to 2030. "This gives us a really good hands-on experience, so that when we sit down around the horseshoe at budget time, we know exactly what it is that our various departments are looking for," said Kelly. "What it is that our firefighters go through every single day is really quite amazing, and they deserve our support and admiration. Not just lip service, but giving them the resources that they need in order to be able to get the job done."
The Calgary Fire Department's operating budget is $363 million this year, accounting for about eight per cent of the city's operating expenses. The department's capital budget is $57 million. While city council has approved budget increases for fire services in recent years — including a $21-million increase this year compared to 2024 — budget hikes haven't always kept pace with the city's growth, Blayney argued.
