Sudbury city council votes to strike task force into volunteer firefighter recruitment

Sudbury city council voted on Tuesday to strike a task force that will evaluate the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

Its purpose is to provide more firefighters to some stations in outlying areas that are currently understaffed.

Councillor Robert Kirwan said there seems to be a disconnect between the number of volunteers listed and those responding to calls.

"I'm hearing a lot of concern out there that people would like to bring the level of volunteerism back up," Kirwan said.

"They would like to see the volunteers become the way they were at one point where we actually had waiting lists of people wanting to get on to these stations."

But fire chief Trevor Bain thinks the problem has more to do with attendance, and that there is not an issue with the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

"Could it be better? Absolutely," Bain said. 

"But is it a problem based on the numbers over the past 10 years? No. We're doing really well."

The new task force will start meeting once a review of Sudbury's fire department is finished.

Council also decided to spend $15,000 to train 15 new volunteer firefighters by the end of the year.