Firefighters in Orillia, Ont., are canvassing the community on Monday to draw attention to something they say is becoming a growing safety concern for everyone in the city.
Since August, local firefighters say they have consistently been dealing with one of only two fire stations in the city being closed for days on end because of staffing issues.
Fred LeBlanc, thirteenth district vice-president for the International Association of Fire Fighters, says Station Two has been closed at least 20 times since August, leading to safety concerns for everyone in the community when responding to emergencies with only four firefighters per station.
“So when an emergency comes in Station One’s area, the entire city is waiting for those firefighters,” says LeBlanc.
“If the caller is out in Station Two’s area on a day in which it’s closed, it takes Station One double the response time to get out here. What could have been maybe a smaller incident that was mitigated by a faster response is now a much bigger incident, and now we’re dealing with people’s homes rather than maybe our kitchen or a room that was on fire.”
LeBlanc says this poses a risk to the public and the firefighters on duty, who need more support when responding to larger incidents.
When asked what led to the closure, LeBlanc says it’s an issue with staffing and not enough firefighters being hired to fill in for those on long-term leave or off on vacation.
But he says it’s a staffing issue that could easily be solved by approving more overtime and also bringing in firefighters on a temporary basis.
LeBlanc says ultimately, the decision to close the station instead of addressing the staffing issue is a decision that rests with council.
“We are unaware of any report from the fire chief to council, or when or if council even met to decide this issue. So they’re just abruptly and without notice to anyone start cutting your fire resources in half is a very dangerous decision,” he says.
In response to the situation, Orillia Mayor Donald McIsaac told Global News in a statement that Orillia fire has operational plans in place to provide services when reduced staffing levels occur.
“As with every emergency service, there are times when there are reduced staffing levels due to sickness, vacations, training, fire calls etc. When this occurs, the firefighters respond as a team from Fire Station One,” McIsaac says.
“As part of Council’s ongoing commitment to the safety and well-being of the community, I will be recommending that the City of Orillia do a comprehensive review of the fire service, including number and location of stations, staffing levels, benchmarking, and service levels including the provision of tiered response.”
The mayor said that since the mandated 24-hour shift was implemented in Orillia through an arbitration order in 2018, it has proven difficult to maintain staffing levels for both stations.
In his statement, the mayor pointed to the fact that the association’s contract expires at the end of the year and said that “the City of Orillia will not be negotiating with the Association through the media.”
But LeBlanc says, “this is not (about) negotiations.”
“We’re simply asking you to go back to doing something you’ve been doing for years, and that’s staffing both stations with four firefighters in each, 24/7, every day.”
Comments