The suggestion from one of the candidates running in the Ward 3 byelection in May about using volunteer firefighters in the city has generated alot of comment on Facebook.
Common Council has also talked about the possibility but Fire Chief Kevin Clifford warns you can’t integrate volunteers without having to spend taxpayer dollars and you can only use them in a limited capacity.
Consultant Todd MacDonald of Performance Concepts warns the availability of volunteers at times is iffy because of their job commitments.
Volunteer firefighters are used in Ottawa and Hamilton because of regionalisation.
In a recent CHSJ News poll, 80 per cent of our listeners who responded didn’t think the use of volunteer firefighters in the city was a good idea.
