Halifax firefighters union supports increased staffing motion

Halifax firefighters are welcoming a motion to raise firefighter staffing levels that will go before council Tuesday evening.

The motion includes a requirement that all fire trucks driven by professional firefighters have four people on them.

There are five stations where crews currently work with fewer than four people per truck, says Jim Gates, the president of Local 268, International Association of Firefighters.

"I think it's great. It's a real initiative and a positive move for council to consider staffing our fire stations up to where they should be," he said.

Gates says it would take 19 more firefighters to ensure four people per truck at the stations in question, which he says are in Bedford, Sackville, Eastern Passage, Lakeside and Cole Harbour.

He says four people on each truck are required to meet safety standards.

"Anything less than that, it's not safe for the firefighters to make entry because if they get into trouble, there'd be nobody there immediately to go help them out or get them out of the situation," said Gates.

The motion also asks for two crewed aerial trucks on the east and west side of the harbour. Gates says that would require 40 more firefighters.

Council previously voted against a similar motion

In March, fire chief Doug Trussler proposed to do all of this by closing three stations. Council voted against that. The chief warned that to keep the stations open and hire 59 more firefighters, it would cost more than $6 million.

So far this year, council has approved seven new firefighters at a cost of $337,000. The union's position is that council should move towards more hires.

The motion is being brought forward by Councillor Waye Mason.

If the motion passes, it would ask the fire chief to plan to meet the staffing goals within three years and also to report back to council every six months with a progress update.