Southwest Design & Construction donates $5,000 to Fire & Emergency Services Academy
Coaldale’s Kate Andrews Fire and Emergency Services Academy is currently in its third year of operation
Coaldale & District Emergency Services (CDES) and the Town of Coaldale announce Southwest Design & Construction has donated $5000 to the Kate Andrews Fire and Emergency Services Academy (KAFESA). This one-of-a-kind Academy is a dualcredit program run jointly through the Coaldale Fire Department, Palliser Regional Schools, and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).
“Palliser School Division greatly appreciates the support of the Kate Andrews Fire Academy by Southwest Design and Construction,” said Dave Driscoll, Superintendent, Palliser School Division. “Palliser firmly believes that young people should have opportunities to engage in learning beyond the traditional classroom and to be able to do so in their own communities. The Kate Andrews Fire Academy allows students in Coaldale to gain valuable skills and knowledge that will further serve them in the years ahead as well as the community in which they live. We greatly appreciate the work of the Coaldale Fire Department, the Town of Coaldale and the support of companies such as Southwest in making this valuable program a reality for the students of Palliser School Division.”
“This generous donation will help us be able to continue to offer this unique, once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity while keeping costs incurred by CDES and Palliser at a reasonable rate,” added Fire Chief Kevin McKeown of Coaldale & District Emergency Services. “The Academy has been tremendously successful and we look forward to continuing to offer this program at a high level to students interested in pursuing their passions and getting hands-on experience in emergency services.”
The donation will be put towards personal protective equipment, course supplies, and fees associated with renting the live-fire training centres in Lethbridge and Taber for the 2022-23 KAFESA class.
“We appreciate Southwest for their thoughtful donation to further enhance the program curriculum,” said Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn. “I am thrilled to see so many students taking advantage of this exceptional program and looking forward to seeing how it expands in the future.”
Southwest was contracted to complete the firehall renovations where the program is being taught.
“Southwest Design & Construction has been very active over the years in the town of Coaldale building commercial buildings,” said Blayne Janssens, General Manager of Southwest Design & Construction. “Being selected to build the new firehall project which we feel is a real landmark for the Town of Coaldale and surrounding communities that the fire department serves was a real honor. We have employees that live in the community and we our proud to have the opportunity to give back to the local fire department.”