Members of Drumheller Fire and Rescue got together on Wednesday, December 14 in honour of two retiring members of the East Coulee hall who, collectively, have over 100 years of service between them.
Frank Kalman and Bob Repas were recognized for their years of service to the community, and reminisced about some of the most impactful calls they have attended over the years since joining the department in 1973.
In 1980, Mr. Kalman took over the role of East Coulee Fire Chief from his brother, Steve Kalman; at the time, the department was under the jurisdiction of Improvement District No. 7. During his time as Chief, Mr. Kalman saw the Improvement District incorporated into the Municipal District of Badlands in 1991, and then saw another amalgamation with the Municipal District and the then City of Drumheller to form the Town of Drumheller in 1998.
He was then appointed as District Chief.
Mr. Kalman has spent his life in East Coulee and has raised three daughters with his wife, Donna, in the community. Now retired, Mr. Kalman and his wife relocated to the Red Deer area to be closer to family.
Mr. Repas grew up southeast of East Coulee in a community known as Western Monarch. His father owned a grocery store in Western Monarch and, when the mines began shutting down in the area, bought the grocery store in East Coulee and joined the department.
Bob soon followed in his father’s footsteps, and he and his wife Barb have been active community members over the years--from volunteering on the East Coulee Community Association, and leading fundraising efforts to replace the community hall after it was lost to fire around 1990.
The two reflected on some of the biggest calls they had attended, including the East Coulee Hotel fire in the late 1970s, and the fire that destroyed the East Coulee Community Hall, and the highlight of the community receiving a new fire truck in 1983.
