Southern Alberta fire departments face challenges maintaining volunteer rosters

Whether it's responding to a fire, vehicle crash or medical call, fire departments and their members are busier than ever. "We do see an extra demand on our volunteers and on full-time staff," said Clayton Rutberg, director of protective services with the Town of Coaldale. Maintaining a full roster of paid firefighters is unfeasible for most small towns, meaning the call goes out to residents to volunteer. Retaining those volunteers has been challenging, however. "It's a huge time commitment for