Hamilton is set to lose some of its volunteer firefighters because of a contentious union rule that prevents them from pulling extra duty in other municipalities.
The news has raised alarm bells among residents and volunteer firefighters in rural areas, where volunteer stations are most heavily concentrated, and prompted two councillors to meet with the city?s fire chief last week.
At issue is the practice of ?two-hatting? ? full-time firefighters who volunteer with another department in their off hours. Under union rules, professional firefighters are barred from performing such double duty. Last month, five Mississauga firefighters who also volunteer with Hamilton brigades were sent violation notices.
Councillor Rob Pasuta says it?s becoming increasingly difficult for rural fire halls to find and retain volunteers.
?When it was more of a farming community, a lot of the farm boys were volunteer firefighters because they were always at home on the farm,? says Pasuta, whose ward includes four volunteer stations ? Greensville, Lynden, Rockton and Freelton.
The city can?t afford to lose well-trained volunteers who are committed to protecting their communities, he added.
His concerns are echoed by Hamilton Fire Chief Rob Simonds.
Hamilton Fire has 270 volunteer positions, but 62 are vacant. The turnover rate among volunteer firefighters is 25 per cent per year, Simonds said, and the department has just launched its annual recruitment drive.
?One of the challenges right across the country is the changing demographics and the increased demands on our firefighters, whether they?re volunteer or career, in terms of the skills and competencies required,? Simonds said. ?That ongoing need to maintain your skill set is a challenge for many because they only have so much time to volunteer.?
Pasuta says he?s heard from a number of people concerned for the safety of their communities, including some full-time firefighters who work elsewhere but live and volunteer here.
The International Association of Fire Fighters? (IAFF) constitution prohibits the practice of having a secondary firefighting job while being employed as a full-time firefighter.
Members violating the rule can be brought up on charges by their local union and tried by a board of their peers. The penalty can be expulsion.
Hamilton has 12 stations that use volunteers, with nine staffed entirely by volunteers (who are paid for training and call-outs), and three composites ? made up of professional and volunteer firefighters.
This is not the first time two-hatters have been an issue in Hamilton. In 2001, eight city firefighters were brought up on similar charges for volunteering in their rural communities.
The debate was reignited last month when Henry Watson, president of the Hamilton Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 288, learned five full-time firefighters from Mississauga were also working as volunteer firefighters here.
?It?s problematic for everyone involved and unfortunately it?s come to light,? says Watson. ?As an association, we have an obligation to bring it to their attention.?
Watson says he notified the Mississauga Fire Fighters Association, which sent out letters notifying the firefighters they were in breach of the IAFF constitution.
The Greater Hamilton Volunteer Firefighters Association Local 911 ? which is affiliated with the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) ? acknowledged there may be more two-hatters at risk of being forced out, although it could not confirm an exact number.
None of the current Hamilton two-hatters were willing to speak on the record for fear of reprisal from their professional unions, but CLAC did issue the following statement:
?CLAC does not agree with Local 288?s position that Hamilton firefighters must choose between their union job and their volunteer firefighter commitments. These volunteers are well-trained and qualified with highly developed skills. They made a commitment to their communities and cannot be easily replaced.?
The IAFF says the two-hatter rule is in place for both firefighter and community safety.
?Our members don?t believe it?s healthy for firefighters to be working secondary employment as a firefighter as well as their primary employment,? says Scott Marks, the IAFF?s assistant to the general president for Canadian operations.
He says firefighters working in more than one jurisdiction aren?t just putting themselves at risk; they may also be jeopardizing their co-workers and the communities they serve.
?When people are working part time and then have to go into their main employer the next day, it certainly questions the physical condition they will be in,? says Marks.
The two-hatter issue is not unique to Hamilton and is a major concern for rural and northern communities, according to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
Monika Turner, the association?s policy director, says the logic of IAFF?s thinking is flawed.
?Their argument holds if firefighters are not allowed to do anything (outside of their primary firefighting job),? she says. ?But they?re allowed to have another job, they?re allowed to volunteer, they can do anything ? except what they?re trained to do.?
Councillor Judi Partridge, whose ward includes the Waterdown composite volunteer fire station, says the unions need to find a way to do what?s best for the community and the firefighters.
?Because honestly, at the end of the day, what it means is saving people?s lives.?
pattiephillips@thespec.com
| @PattieatTheSpec
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