Union sounds the alarm about resource, personnel shortage at Halifax Fire

The union representing firefighters is calling for new leadership at Halifax Fire, saying members are working with limited resources and support, which is putting crews and the public at risk.

The comments were made in the wake of the Middle Sackville apartment fire on Monday, where 180 people were left homeless.

Brendan Marr, the president of Halifax Professional Fire Fighters, says a personnel shortage is jeopardizing response times and tying up resources.

“Roughly half of the firefighters in the city were at this fire overnight and no stations were backfilled with additional people and we felt that we were very vulnerable as a municipality to other fires coming in,” he said, adding that response times on Monday at the apartment fire fell far below industry standards.

“Without enough people on scene to perform all of these tasks, it’s a risk to the public. Not only that, it increases damage to property, which … of course contributes to housing and security.”

He says the union also believes little progress has been made since a wildfire in the Tantallon area destroyed 150 homes in 2023.

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The union has also said that its members are lacking proper boots, gloves and protective gear, as well as reserve fire trucks that are equipped for up-staffing.

“We are not keeping up with the needs of the community and we get exposed when we have large, dynamic fires like this,” said Marr.

In a statement to Global News, Halifax Regional Municipality’s commissioner of public safety says he’s aware of the concerns raised by the union.

“The Acting Chief Administrative Officer has asked me, in my role as Commissioner of Public Safety, to review the matter and that process is currently underway,” said Bill Moore, in a statement.

“As the municipality and the union are currently engaged in the collective bargaining process and this involves personnel-related issues, the municipality will not be providing further comment at this time.”

The municipality says the fire in Middle Sackville was put out Tuesday afternoon, and credited the firefighters’ efforts for preventing the blaze from spreading further to any nearby buildings.