Friend of NLC: 2024 Award Recipient

The recipient of the 2024 Friend of Northern Lakes College Award is

Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service

Northern Lakes College was pleased to present the 2024 Friend of Northern Lakes College Award to the Lesser Slave Regional Fire Service (LSRFS).

Comprised of two municipalities, LSRFS operates as a single service and is funded by both the Town of Slave Lake and the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River. With five fire stations across the service area, the Service covers over 500 KM of primary and secondary highways within the region and offers a wide variety of emergency response including fire, vehicle collision, medical, and specialty response such as water and hazardous materials.

With Station 1 in Slave Lake equipped with an extensive training facility, and such a broad range of services, the LSRFS is a perfect partner with which to offer the Integrated Fire and Emergency Medical Services program. This partnership was initiated by the Service and combines Lakeland College firefighter training with NLC’s Primary Care Paramedic program. Firefighter training is delivered at the state-of-the-art training grounds at Station 1, with NLC paramedic students living and working at the Station and responding to fire-related emergencies with other firefighters.

Chief Alex Pavcek and his team are wonderful partners. The responsiveness of Chief Pavcek and his team has enabled us to pivot and adjust during the inaugural offering of the program, and the Service allocated a Primary Care Paramedic from their staff to support students in the program. This is a significant commitment, as it results in one of their paramedics being unavailable to the Service for approximately one week per month. The Service also participates in the College’s annual Mock Mass Casualty Incident, and actively participates in activities hosted by the College.