Cochrane to partner with Diamond Valley and Bighorn for Emergency Management Project

Cochrane will be partnering with the Town of Diamond Valley and the MD of Bighorn for an Emergency Management Project, after being awarded $200,000 from the provincial government through the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) grant program.

The funds will be directed to the Unified Response Project, an initiative aimed at enhancing inter-municipal emergency preparedness and management across the three municipalities.

Diamond Valley Deputy fire chief and director of Emergency Management, Logan Sabourin, explained that the grant is a major step towards better-coordinated and resilient first response framework.

“By aligning training, resources, and response strategies, we ensure our communities are better prepared for large-scale emergencies,” Sabourin said.

From March 31, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the project will unite resources and specialists to create a Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) template that aligns with the 2024 Alberta Incident Management System (AIMS) by the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA).

It will also look to improve emergency response coordination at the regional level by standardizing emergency management training and procedures, enhancing resource-sharing, creating a regional emergency coordination and communication strategy, giving municipalities better tools to bolster preparedness and response, and conducting joint training sessions and regional disaster simulations to improve readiness.

Director of Community Safety, Jay Judin, said that Cochrane is excited to collaborate with the neighbouring municipalities to enhance emergency preparedness in the area.

“This initiative will strengthen our collective ability to respond to emergencies and ensure the safety of our communities,” Judin said.

Diamond Valley will be overseeing the project administration, while Cochrane and the MD of Bighorn will contribute to planning, resource sharing, and training. AIMS provides a standardized framework for emergency response, promoting collaboration, resource management, and clear communication between agencies during all forms of incidents, to better ensure scalable and effective response to local and provincial emergencies.

Diamond Valley Emergency Management will be working alongside key stakeholders from Cochrane and the MD of Bighorn. Its implementation is slated to be around early 2025.