ATCO has supported the Fire Cadet Program with the Calgary Fire Department since 2002. Over the years, we have expanded our support to other Programs throughout the province, including: Calgary Fire Cadet Program, Disbury Fire Cadet Program, Edmonton Fire Cadet Program, Foothills Emergency Services Program, Grande Prairie County Fire Cadet Program, Kate Andrews Fire Academy, and the Penhold Fire Cadet Program.

These programs include classroom and hands-on learning about emergency response, local fire departments, and the many life skills needed to become a career firefighter. The programs are available in three levels, each of which are offered every year. 

In 2022, we expanded our support for Fire Cadet programs by launching Futures on Fire, a pilot project that brought together over 50 ATCO-sponsored fire cadets from across the province for a day of learning, training, competition, and comradery.  

The program is now an annual event where young cadets can participate in emergency response drills, take part in classroom learning, compete against each other, connect with fire fighters, and make new friends during the BBQ lunch.

ATCO encourages employee involvement in volunteer firefighting. Not only does this benefit our employees and our operations with cross-training, but it also promotes our values of safety and involvement in the communities we live and work in. We also support volunteer fire departments throughout our service territory for new equipment, training and fire hall improvements.

More than 60 years ago, our Founder, R.D. Southern, along with his father, S.D. Southern, helped bring the Junior Achievement (JA) chapter to Calgary. They saw the value in its vision of providing practical business experience to students under the hands-on guidance of volunteers from the local business community. To this day, we remain a dedicated partner, supporting JA programs financially and through volunteer commitments.

To this day, we remain a dedicated partner, supporting JA programs financially and through volunteer commitments with both�Junior Achievement Southern Alberta�and�Junior Achievement Northern Alberta & NWT.