The frustration among local firefighters with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent (CK) is only getting worse.
Earlier this week, CK council approved a motion from Councillor Ryan Doyle to look into staffing and service delivery models across CK Fire and Rescue.
Members of the Chatham-Kent Professional Fire Fighters Association (CKPFFA) had requested to be a delegate at the meeting, but were denied.
According to the municipality, the firefighters weren't allowed to speak as the deputation was expected to discuss labour relations.
"Under [the municipality's procedural by-law], the Clerk may refuse a deputation request when it deals with a labour dispute or a matter involving current or potential legal proceedings, including labour arbitration. [The procedural by-law], along with the [Municipal Act], also recognizes labour relations and negotiations as matters that may be discussed by council in closed session rather than in a public meeting," read a statement from the municipality.
The CKPFFA wasn't a fan of the decision, as they planned to discuss adding more firefighters to help improve response times. They argue that creating two more full-time positions in Chatham would drastically improve response times and the overall safety of firefighters, as there would be more people to support each other.
It was concerns over safety, mainly due to a lack of proper training and equipment, that led nearly all local IAFF members to vote that they had "no confidence" in Chief Christopher Case and Assistant Chief Dan Parent.
The CKPFFA shared some data to back up its concerns with response times. Using requirements laid out by the National Fire Protection Association, there should be 15 firefighters on scene of an urban fire within nine minutes for at least 90 per cent of calls. In Chatham, the current number is zero.
For rural fires, six firefighters should be on scene within 14 minutes at least 80 per cent of the time. Across CK, the number is currently 74 per cent.
The CKPFFA explained that adding two firefighters in Chatham could raise the city's response time to just under 50 per cent. It would also put the rural response time to 80 per cent, as Chatham firefighters would be able to respond to fires around the city.
This is what the group planned to discuss at the meeting.
"As a municipal councillor, Councillor Doyle has the ability to introduce a motion that would amend the scope of the Fire Master Plan and remove elements of the proposed service delivery model that he disagrees with. At the same time, the Association and our members have been seeking an opportunity to present our public safety concerns directly to Council," read a statement from the CKPFFA.
Along with sharing its proposal for adding firefighters, the CKPFFA wanted to discuss why Doyle's motion didn't directly include looking at options to grow the workforce.
It instead asks administration to look into maintaining current staffing levels, intertwining full-time and volunteer positions, volunteer and paid-on-call participation, and any other staffing or deployment models that are deemed operationally effective.
The municipality did accept a written copy of the CKPFFA's delegation so members of councils could read about the concerns.
