International Association of Fire Fighters Alberta
IAFF Alberta
History of IAFF Alberta
More Than a Century of Standing Together
IAFF Alberta is the provincial voice of professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics across Alberta and the Northwest Territories. As an affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), we are part of a movement that has spent more than a century advocating for the people who protect our communities.
Our
History
The fire service looked very different when professional Fire Fighters first began organizing.
In the early 1900s, Fire Fighters often worked extraordinarily long hours, with many living at their fire halls and remaining on continuous duty with little time away from the job or their families. Across Canada and the United States, Fire Fighters began coming together to advocate for reasonable hours, fair wages, safer working conditions and greater security for themselves and their families.
In 1918, representatives from 24 Fire Fighter unions came together to form the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
Among the IAFF's earliest priorities was the two-platoon system, which sought to replace continuous duty with defined shifts and meaningful time away from the fire hall.
Alberta's organized Fire Fighter history reaches back even further. IAFF Alberta traces its roots to 1909, beginning a provincial legacy of representation and advocacy that has continued for more than a century.
Over the decades, the provincial association has evolved alongside the profession. Known for many years as the Alberta Fire Fighters Association (AFFA), the organization became the Alberta Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics Association (APFFPA) in 2022, recognizing the important role of Paramedics and integrated Fire-Based EMS within Alberta's professional fire service.
In June 2026, APFFPA became IAFF Alberta. The new name more clearly reflects who we are and strengthens our connection to the International Association of Fire Fighters and the broader IAFF community across Canada and North America.
While our name has changed, our purpose and commitment to our members remain firmly rooted
in more than a century of representation, advocacy and service.
Our History in Alberta
IAFF Alberta Today
The challenges facing professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics have changed considerably since our earliest members first organized, but the purpose of our association remains the same: to ensure the people who protect our communities have a strong, united voice behind them.
Today, IAFF Alberta advocates on the issues affecting our members throughout their careers and into retirement. Our work includes labour relations and collective bargaining, occupational health and safety, workers compensation, retirement security, Fire-Based EMS, presumptive occupational disease legislation, public safety, and the legislation and public policy that affect our members and the communities they serve.
Through advocacy, education, research and direct engagement with government, we work alongside our affiliated Locals to protect our members, strengthen the professional fire service and advance public safety across Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Honouring Our Traditions - The Last Alarm
The fire service of today is ever changing, but is steeped in traditions 200 years old. One such tradition is the sound of a bell.
In the past, as fire fighters began their tour of duty, it was the bell that signaled the beginning of that day's shift. Throughout the day and night, each alarm was sounded by a bell, which summoned these brave souls to fight fires and to place their lives in jeopardy for the good of their fellow citizen. And when the fire was out and the alarm had come to an end, it was the bell that signaled to all the completion of that call. When a fire fighter had died in the line of duty, paying the supreme sacrifice, it was the mournful toll of the bell that solemnly announced a comrade's passing.
We utilize these traditions as symbols, which reflect honour and respect on those who have given so much and who have served so well. To symbolize the devotion that these brave souls had for their duty, a "special signal" represents the end of our comrades' duties and that they will be returning to quarters.
It is customary that the "Last Alarm" be sounded for our brother or sister who paid the supreme sacrifice. For having selflessly given their lives for the good of their fellow man, their tasks completed, their duties well done, to signify, they are "returning to quarters."