Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) official opened the new Ed Howell Emergency Services Training Tower today through a ceremony and community event.

“It was my great honor to officially open the new Ed Howell Emergency Services Training Tower this morning,” said Mayor Ken Johnston. “This facility will be a wonderful asset for our first responder community for many years to come.”

The complete training centre will provide a wide range of training opportunities to both Red Deer Emergency Services and the wider first-responder community in Alberta. The centre can be rented by community fire departments, oil and gas businesses, police forces, and many other organizations that require emergency response training.

The over 9,000 square foot training tower offers comprehensive training scenarios for crews, including house, basement suite, garage and commercial building fire scenarios, hazardous material emergency response, collapsed structure response, elevator rescue and much more.

The training centre is named after beloved, long-serving RDES employee Ed Howell who championed training amongst his colleagues throughout his career spanning nearly thirty years from 1965 to 1994.

“As first-responders, it is critical that we are prepared to respond to any scenario with skill, knowledge and expertise. Our ability to do so can mean the difference between life and death,” said Ken McMullen, Acting General Manager for Development & Protective Services, and Chief of Red Deer Emergency Services. “Ed was a true leader who spearheaded training programs for Red Deer Emergency Services. His legacy of service excellence and safety for first responders will continue to thrive in this new facility.”

Construction of the $4.32 million fire training tower was completed in April of 2022, and was made possible through the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.