The Saint John Firefighters Association is speaking out against $1.875 million in cuts to fire services.
The cuts include the closure of the Millidgeville station, and a workforce reduction of 24 firefighters.
Craig Melvin is the association’s president, and he says these cuts put the public at risk.
“Fire trucks and fire stations don’t put out fires and cut people out of cars, firefighters do that,” Melvin said. “With fewer numbers, we’re going to have (staff) working extra, putting more demand on them, and we’ll have less backup.”
The closure of the Millidgeville station means less coverage for the north end community, and a likely increase in response times.
Melvin estimates response times could increase by up to three minutes for some areas.
He says that fires double in size every minute, and that the worsened response time mean the city’s fire service won’t live up to the National Fire Protection Association’s standard.
At a council meeting on June 22, council approved a fire service review to be completed after the cuts are made.
Melvin agrees that a service review is desperately needed.
“We think the cuts being made are purely financial, and not considering the true fire load is, and what the hazards are,” said Melvin.
In the meantime, he believes that the city could be at risk as layoffs add stress to the remaining staff.
“The exertion that’s put on the body, and the fact you need breaks – we need the additional personnel to be able to come in and take over when somebody does need to go and take a rest.”
