The Town of Diamond Valley, in partnership with the Town of Cochrane and the MD of Bighorn, has been awarded $200,000 by the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) grant program. This funding will support the Unified Response project, a collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing intermunicipal emergency preparedness and management across the three municipalities.
“This grant is a major step toward a more coordinated and resilient emergency response framework,” said Logan Sabourin, Deputy Fire Chief & Director of Emergency Management. “By aligning training, resources, and response strategies, we ensure our communities are better prepared for large-scale emergencies.”
Running from March 31, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the project will bring together resources and technical specialists to develop a Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) template that aligns with the newly adopted 2024 Alberta Incident Management System (AIMS) by the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA). The initiative will also strengthen emergency response coordination at the regional level by standardizing emergency management training and procedures, enhancing resource-sharing efforts, developing a regional emergency coordination and communication strategy, providing municipalities with tools to strengthen preparedness and response, and conducting joint training sessions and regional disaster simulations to improve readiness.
“We are excited to collaborate with our neighboring municipalities to enhance emergency preparedness in our region,” said Jay Judin, Director, Community Safety. “This initiative will strengthen our collective ability to respond to emergencies and ensure the safety of our communities.”
The Town of Diamond Valley will oversee project administration, while Cochrane and the MD of Bighorn will contribute to planning, resource sharing, and training efforts. AIMS provides a standardized framework for emergency response, promoting collaboration, resource management, and clear communication across agencies during incidents of all sizes, ensuring scalable and effective responses to both local and provincial emergencies.
Diamond Valley Emergency Management is proud to work alongside key stakeholders from Cochrane and the MD of Bighorn, with implementation beginning in early 2025.
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