Station 3 in Donalda was a fully equipped and functioning Volunteer Fire Department for many years, under the Stettler Regional Fire Department and Chief Mark Dennis; however, it was decommissioned in April of 2017 due to the lack of volunteers. The Donalda Fire Hall is a
relatively new facility, having been completed in 2010.
Currently, the citizens of the Donalda area are being covered by the Stettler and Forestburg Fire Departments, both approximately 30 minutes away. The community is hoping to find enough volunteers to re-open the fire hall and make the response time for fires much shorter.
The minimum number of volunteers needed to reopen the fire hall is twelve, with a preference of at least four or more of those volunteers residing or working in or around Donalda during the day.
A town hall style meeting with the Stettler Regional Fire Department will be scheduled as soon as next week to provide information for interested volunteers and community members. Volunteers will be trained, and there are discussions ongoing as to possibly sharing this training between the Stettler and Forestburg departments.
Meeting Coordinators Bobbi and Davin Kirwin had this to say:
We would like to start by saying that we are thankful for being a part of this. We have been a part of Donalda and the community for two years. We are working towards getting the volunteer fire department up and running again. But as with most things, there are many steps, and unfortunately, it does not happen overnight. We would like to set up an evening when people can come out and express their thoughts and opinions. We both feel that having the volunteer fire dept back up and running would be a great asset to our village and bring us closer together as a community.
My fiancé is originally from Edmonton and is a 19-year military veteran. During this pandemic, he was fortunate enough to find an amazing job at Score Projects out of Stettler. A very much family-orientated place that reminds him of the camaraderie that he felt in the military. I am originally from Coalhurst/Lethbridge where I had considerable involvement in the community. I have worked on many volunteer projects, including a spray park and playground fundraising, and I believe in community involvement.
We would love to support restarting the volunteer fire department, and hopefully, it will be the beginning of many great things within this community and the surrounding area. It may take time, but with your help, we will continue to work and push to make this happen.
If anyone is interested in volunteering, feel free to contact us at dbkirwin@yahoo.com
Thank you
Bobbi and Davin Kirwin