An unprescedented show of solidarity this week by members of the Strathroy-Caradoc Firefighters Association as they held a silent protest at Council followed by the handing out of a statement expressing concerns, frustrations, and a request for Council to move forward with the Fire Master Plan instead of what is seeming to be quite the delay or a detour of the process by the new council in regards to a new Station #1 and helping to deal with health hazards and more that the Firefighters are concerned with. myFM’s Chris Soares conducted an exclusive interview with former Strathroy-Caradoc Fire Chief and current member of the Strathroy-Caradoc Firefighters Association Brian George. myFM has reached out to the municipality including Mayor Colin Grantham for comment.
The complete statement handed out to Council is included in its entirety below.
STRATHROY-CARADOC FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION STATEMENT
The Strathroy-Caradoc Fire Fighters Associations are here seeking clarification on the current council’s direction and intent on following through with the Fire Master Plan. More specifically the construction of a new fire hall for Station 1, the location of said fire hall and adopting the recommendations in the Fire Master Plan. This includes proper halls in the South region, proper staffing, and the possibility of Medical Assistance calls, in certain circumstances. As the Firefighters are one of the key stakeholders in the delivery of Fire and Rescue services for the residents of Strathroy-Caradoc, we are concerned about the current Council’s position on fire and emergency services going forward.
There have been questions on the annual reports regarding call volumes vs events, and assertions that they are inflated from previous reports. We have reviewed these claims and support our administration. These numbers are accurate and up to date. Our administration will be answering this in the future.
The new Council is questioning the new Station 1 location. The location was determined by industry experts. They looked at all the factors and concluded the current location to be best. To look at revisiting alternative locations will only delay the progress made so far, and incur additional costs.
To ignore the occupational health and safety issues surrounding the outdated fire halls as described in the Fire Master Plan is insulting. These delays in progress increase preventable exposures to us as firefighters. We have stood silently for years with the hopeful anticipation of our Council approving the new fire hall to address these concerns. The construction of Station 1 is only one part of this. Both Stations 2 & 3 will need to be replaced or revamped in keeping with the recommendations.
The Provincial Government continues to extend cancer coverage for firefighters. MPP Monte McNaughton just recently announced that firefighters are four times more likely to die from cancer than the general population. We urge Council to move forward as quickly as possible and get this process underway. We ask this of you to protect our firefighters from unnecessary exposures to carcinogens that impact both the health and welfare of our volunteer firefighters and their families.
We are proud of the Service that we continue to provide for the residents of Strathroy-Caradoc. These needless delays suggest to us that our current Councilors do not support us in our role. We answer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without hesitation. We are there to support and assist in what can be someone’s worst day.
Please stop delaying this decision. Council’s Actions Will Speak Louder Than Words or the platitudes that they support the firefighters.
Respectfully
Strathroy-Caradoc Fire Fighters Associations.
