Cardston County Emergency Services: ‘a joint partnership between the surrounding areas”

Posted on October 14, 2025 by admin

By Heather Cameron
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Cardston County Chief Administrative Officer Murray Millward describes Cardston County Emergency Services as ‘a joint partnership between the Town of Cardston, the Villages of Hill Spring and Glenwood, and Cardston County which also has a contract in place with Waterton Park to provide fire response.’

“We are a volunteer department, and we deeply appreciate the dedicated individuals who generously give their time to support our communities and citizens,” said Millward.

Cardston County Emergency Services, Millward says, has response units in Cardston and Glenwood, allowing units to respond to the local area.  

“Our teams proudly serve by responding to fires, vehicle collisions, and medical assist calls, as well as providing support at community events,” said Millward. “Beside responding they must take training courses to ensure they know how to deal with the situation and how to ensure safety to all.”

Millward emphasizes that the Fire Chief works to ensure that firefighters complete their Level 2 Firefighter certification, along with various levels of first aid training, In addition to that, Millward says, municipal staff have received emergency response training up to the ICS 300 level. Local municipalities, Millward says, often share important fire safety messages, typically through social media posts or local newspapers.

“The safety of both the firefighters and the public is always the top priority,” said Millward. 

This, Millward says, is shown by the fact that the department has responded to all local emergencies, including the Kenow Fire in 2017, and participated in training events. This year, Millward says, the department has had 132 call outs, which is about 17 percent more than the average of the past years.

Cardston County Emergency Services, Millward says, responds to their calls using their three traditional fire trucks, quick response units, grass fire units, and other service vehicles, and every firefighter is equipped with the necessary safety gear to ensure they can respond to emergencies safely and effectively. The cost of equipment, however, is steady rising, with a standard firetruck now costing over $700,000.00 per unit, and the small units, and the PPE is also costing more, which does make it hard to budget for all the equipment required, Millward says,

In spite of the challenges related to costs, Millward says that the department is doing an excellent job. 

“Our firefighters are dedicated and work hard to serve the community,” said Millward. “Like any department, we would benefit from having more equipment, more personnel, and more time. However, we remain well-prepared to respond to local emergencies.”