Information to share from the Office of the Fire Commissioner, regarding Ed Pomerleau
Ed Pomerleau was born on Oct 10, 1943 and passed away Jan 11, 2026.
Ed started his fire career with the OFC in 1978 in Peace River until he moved to the Edmonton office in 1981. He worked with the OFC for 27 years until his retirement in March of 2005.
Ed was an inspector, investigation, public education \specialist and trainer for many municipal fire departments. Upon his retirement with the OFC. Morinville Fire Department brought him on as their Fire Marshall until 2021.
Ed touched so many lives in the Alberta Fire Service through the OFC and as a mentor to many.
A celebration of Life will be held for Ed
Sunday, January 25, 2026
St. Albert Legion (6 Tache Street, St. Albert, AB)
14:00-17:00
Morinville Fire Department will be having a Honour Guard for Ed at the service. Class As are welcome to be worn.
Alberta Fire Chiefs Association Professionals Serving Professionals Office of the President
January 5, 2026
Dear AFCA Members,
It is with deep sadness, we have received news of the passing of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association Life Member and Past President, Brian McEvoy.
Brian was a dedicated member of the Association from 1996. Elected to Board Director in 1999, further elected to 2nd Vice President in 2004, 1st Vice President in 2005 and served as AFCA President from 2006 to 2009. In recognition of his exceptional service and lasting contributions, he was named a Life Member in 2011.
Under Brian’s leadership as President, the AFCA underwent significant reorganization that strengthened the Association’s governance, professionalism, and credibility with members, partners, and government. His leadership helped position AFCA as a respected and influential voice for the fire service in Alberta.
During his tenure and continued involvement with the Association, Brian advanced numerous key initiatives, including recruitment and retention, and presumptive cancer advocacy. He led important work on the development of Alberta’s fire service protocol and consistently offered himself as a trusted resource to chiefs and members across the province on matters related to fire protocol and best practices.
Brian was also a strong advocate on behalf of fire departments with the Province of Alberta. In collaboration with Alberta Transportation, he played a key role in developing the reimbursement system that supports rural municipalities responding to incidents on provincial highways—work that continues to have a lasting operational and financial impact for fire services across the province.
In addition, Brian was instrumental in revitalizing the AFCA Bookstore, recognizing its importance as both a service to members and a sustainable resource for the Association. As part of this effort, in 2007 he supported the appointment of Allen Mercier as AFCA Bookstore Manager, laying the foundation for the bookstore’s long-term success.
Brian remained actively supportive of the Association well beyond his presidency. He served the AFCA annually as the Electronic Elections Scrutineer for two consecutive years and continued to attend AFCA conferences even after moving on to serve as a municipal councillor for the Town of Bonnyville. Through his encouragement and example, Brian influenced many current and past Board members and AFCA members to take an active interest in the Association and its work.
In 2022, Brian was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, recognizing his significant contributions to public service and the fire service community.
On behalf of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association, we extend our sincere condolences to Brian’s family, friends and colleagues. Brian’s leadership, commitment, and passion for the fire service will be remembered with great respect and gratitude.
Further information regarding memorial arrangements will be shared as we receive them.
You may be aware (if you’re not already) of a potential challenge that fire departments and municipalities may be faced with shortly. As part of the Government of Canada’s currently planned second round of retaliatory tariffs against the US, all types of trucks coming into Canada are slated to be included, including fire trucks. This will not only affect completed trucks that are built and assembled in the US, but also all components that are purchased by Canadian builders that are US based (almost all of them).
CAFC President Ken McMullen was on 880 CHED this morning with host Shaye Ganam. A link to the recording is available on their website at: https://globalnews.ca/radio/880ched/shows/by scrolling down to the Shaye Ganam Show.
President Schroeder on Fire Fighting in Canada Podcast
President Schroeder recently had the privilege to be a guest on Fire Fighting in Canada: The Podcast with host Tom DeSorcy discussing volunteer fire fighter recruitment and retention.
Alberta Fire Chiefs Association