(File photo/paNOW)

By paNOW Staff

Huge milestone

PAFD responds to 2000th call for service amidst growing strain on resources

Dec 4, 2025 | 4:19 PM

It was a standard call for the Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD), but one that represented a huge milestone.

When firefighters attended a false alarm on Wednesday, it became their 2000^th call for service in 2025.

“It showcases how busy we are as a smaller department. We only have 46 members in our association, but it’s been a wild year, a wild number of years, in fact. The call volumes steadily increase as the days go by. And, year after year, we seem to be setting benchmark after benchmark,” said Ben Hunter, Prince Albert Firefighters Association president.

When Hunter joined the fire department in 2013, he said they attended 913 calls that year. That number has more than doubled, yet he said the department is still operating out of the one fire station.

“Although there are numerous, numerous reports from professionals in the industry identifying back to the 1980s that Prince Albert needed additional stations. And as other cities continue to grow and build fire halls, we still operate out of one centralized fire hall.”

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While the dramatic rise in demand is a reflection of growth in Prince Albert, Hunter said it’s also due to the widening scope of services the public relies on the fire department to provide, including medical responses, technical rescues, hazardous materials incidents, and severe weather emergencies.

A post on the Prince Albert Firefighters Association Facebook page said the growing expectations placed on the department has placed considerable strain on members, requiring them to do more with the same resources while maintaining the professionalism and readiness that our community depends on.

Prince Albert Fire Chief Kris Olsen said the city is aware of the need for additional stations, and in 2023, council approved and secured two suitable sites – one on the east side of the city, and one on the west side of the city for future fire stations.

“City council also established a dedicated Fire Facility Reserve in 2023, which has been funded annually to support the planning and construction of these stations,” Olsen wrote in an email to paNOW.

He said the ongoing work reflects the city’s commitment to improving public safety and ensuring timely and effective emergency response as Prince Albert continues to grow.

Olsen also clarified that staffing levels have increased. In 2023, council approved additional funding for the fire department’s operating budget, allowing for the hiring of three new firefighters, which he said ensures the department can fully staff two fire companies around the clock.

“Today, fire operations are staffed by 12 personnel on each of the 4 platoons, providing full coverage for our existing station and apparatus. The department is appropriately staffed and equipped for its current operational structure,” Olsen said. “Additional firefighters will be required when the city constructs a third fire station, at which point a third apparatus will also be staffed.”

Until that happens, the association feels the increasing workload and call volumes have pushed the department to a critical point.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com