The Atlantic Provinces Professional Fire Fighters Association is calling for staffing levels in the region to match internationally recognized standards. The association, which recently launched the “4 Fire Fighters 4 Your Safety” campaign, says all fire engines and trucks need to be staffed with four firefighters to properly respond to incidents, but many stations in Atlantic Canada only have two or three people per apparatus. “We have staffing challenges,” Glenn Miller, president of the association, told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis. “In Halifax their ladder trucks are only staffed with two firefighters. We’re being asked to do more with less.” The Atlantic association says the National Fire Protection Association recommends a minimum of four firefighters per truck to best respond to emergencies. “Fighting fires isn’t a job for one person,” a news release from the Atlantic association says. “Understaffed companies may have to wait for backup before entering a structure, delaying rescue and suppression efforts. It also increases the risk of injury or death to fire fighters due to inadequate manpower.” Miller said many fire stations are struggling to keep up with the growing populations in Atlantic Canada. “The population base is growing which means the demand is growing,” he said. “We can buy all the equipment in the world, we can buy all the apparatuses in the world, but if you don’t have bodies in seats responding to those calls effectively, then we are going to have unfortunate incidents.”
