Jess McDiarmid
Northern News Services
Published Friday, December 14, 2007
YELLOWKNIFE - City council passed a unanimous motion to add two firefighter positions in July 2008 at its Dec. 12 deliberations on the budget, with another two due to start in July 2009.
The positions were slated in last year's budget but were bumped out of the 2008 draft, which scheduled one position for 2009 and one for 2010 in a move that prompted the firefighters' union to present its case to council last week.
Craig Halifax, president of local 2890 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said the union was hoping council would add four firefighters every year for the next three years to bring the 20-member department up to 32.
Getting the two positions next year is a step in the right direction but a "very small step," said Halifax.
"The guys are to a certain degree disappointed because they were hoping for more but two is better than zero," said Halifax. "But when we stated we needed 12 firefighters, that wasn't just an arbitrary number as a sort of wish. That's truly what's needed here."
Coun. Bob Brooks put forward the motion for hiring the two firefighters, which bumps the 2008 tax increase to 2.98 from 2.53 per cent if approved by council on Monday.
Coun. Kevin Kennedy said his impression was that with four platoons, adding an additional firefighter to bolster each shift would be ideal.
"I would like to see Councillor Brooks' two firefighters and raise him two firefighters," said Kennedy, who then asked administration for direction.
Director of public safety Dennis Marchiori said bringing four new firefighters on at once isn't ideal because it puts a probationary firefighter on each platoon.
"Which means they're all - the nicest way to put it is - burdened with extra training and a probationary firefighter going through the ranks," said Marchiori. "The difficulty is, the platoon chiefs, the lieutenants would tell you ... is a lot of time is taken up with probationary firefighters."
Marchiori said firefighters coming out of school don't know the department's equipment, the city and its structures, how to fight fires in Yellowknife's climate and areas where there aren't fire hydrants.
Kennedy withdrew the suggested amendment.
"That makes sense. Obviously no point burdening beyond the capability to absorb new blood," he said, proposing council approve two more positions in 2009 instead.
Coun. Paul Falvo still moved an amendment to increase the 2008 staff additions to four.
"We're asking for trouble if we're not prepared and at times we see signs of that," said Falvo. "I don't even think two is enough ... I think the need is great. The union asked for 12. Four is a compromise."
No one seconded the motion.
Halifax told Yellowknifer that he'd prefer to see more firefighters. Having probationary members on some shifts and not others creates an imbalance. The department currently has four probationary firefighters who all started in August to replace others who quit, he said.
"I'd rather have another person and that person be a probationary firefighter than not have another person," said Halifax. "Yes, it does mean there's training needs and whatnot that has to be met but whether two shifts are meeting those needs for new members or all four are, is really a moot point. It doesn't make a difference."
He said the two hires slated for 2009 were a concern as well because they could be bumped again and the union would be "in the same boat next year."
Halifax said the union recognized the financial constraints of council and the city.
"But at the same time, emergency response isn't something that should be nickel and dime, the extreme bare minimum just to get by," he said. "That's when we get into the position where the public's safety is threatened to a greater degree and our safety is threatened to a greater degree."
Council will vote on the final budget Monday night.
