International Assocation
of Fire Fighters
Alberta
Who We Are
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.
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.
Who We Serve
Representing the professionals who protect our communities.
IAFF Alberta proudly represents over 5,000 professional Fire Fighters, Paramedics and emergency communications professionals across 22 affiliated Locals in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Our members serve in large urban fire departments, regional and integrated services, and smaller communities across our region. While every Local and community is different, our members share a commitment to protecting the public and being there when their communities need them most.
Our role as a provincial association is to strengthen and support our affiliated Locals. We provide a collective voice on issues that extend beyond any one municipality or workplace, while offering access to advocacy, labour relations expertise, education, research and specialized resources.
For smaller Locals in particular, being part of IAFF Alberta provides access to expertise and resources that may be difficult to sustain independently. For our larger Locals, it creates opportunities to work collectively on provincial issues that affect professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics across Alberta.
Together, our 22 affiliated Locals form one provincial voice sharing knowledge, resources and experience while ensuring the needs of individual Locals and the members they represent remain at the centre of our work.
