The group representing unionized firefighters in Saint John is raising the alarm on equipment shortages, alleging two crews were unable to properly respond to calls last weekend because some gear and trucks are out of service.
Resources were so scarce, the Saint John Firefighters Association says crews had to use a pickup truck instead of a fire truck to attend to a call.
Association president, Tyler Embree, says there were no back-ups, and the fleet of operational spare trucks are now mostly being used on the front lines.
He adds at least three other trucks need immediate replacement.
“The ladder truck that is currently stationed uptown (…) takes a broomstick with a screw on the end of it to activate the ladder in order for it to work properly. Those are very concerning for firefighters, especially when seconds count,” he said.
Embree says it could take up to 52 months for a new truck to arrive unless the city makes an emergency purchase.
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He adds that the department has seen about a 40 per cent staffing cut over the years, while the demand keeps increasing. According to the association, they had about 230 firefighters attending roughly 2,500 calls in 1993.
Now there are just over 150 firefighters for about 10,000 calls.
Embree and the association warn safety levels are not where residents expect or deserve.
“They’ve kicked the can so far down the road that we’re now to a spot where we can’t (get out) trucks, at least in a timely fashion,” he said.
The City of Saint John declined a request for an interview but in a statement on its website, fire Chief Rob Nichol said “public safety was never at risk” in light of recent “fleet challenges.”
“Recent weeks have brought several unexpected challenges that temporarily impacted fleet availability. Three frontline units were involved in accidents during last week’s storms, one of which remains out of service until a replacement windshield arrives,” he wrote.
“Our fleet mechanics, who maintain all emergency and winter operations vehicles, including fire trucks, plow trucks, sidewalk plows, and the wider municipal fleet, have been prioritizing fire apparatus while managing significant seasonal demand with a limited number of mechanics available.”
The chief said that despite limited heavy equipment, all stations remained staffed with the overall response times unchanged.
The statement said the purchase of a new ladder truck is nearly complete and $5 million set aside for next year will likely be used for a tanker and an engine.
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