The City of Windsor is making sweeping changes to its fire service, in lieu of an arbitration decision earlier this year.
At Windsor city hall Tuesday, Mayor Eddie Francis and Fire Chief Bruce Montone unveiled their transformation plan, which they say they achieved without the help of the Windsor Professional Firefighters Association. The city had to re-evaluate the way its fire service operates, after an arbitrator awarded firefighters the option of shortening their work week and reducing the number of shifts they work in a month, plus a 15 per cent wage increase over three years.
With shorter work weeks, the city would have to hire at least 30 new firefighters at an estimated cost of $4 million, something the city is trying to avoid.
This is where Francis’ fire transformation plan comes in. The plan will see a new fire station built on Tecumseh Road East at Chandler Road, consolidating current fire stations two and six. The city already owns the three acres of land needed to build the new station.
Fire station five will also be moved to an undisclosed location north of the E.C. Row Expressway. Property acquisition is being finalized Tuesday.
One pumper engine truck is being taken out of service. The 17 firefighters, who work this truck, will be put into general firefighting duties.
Currently the city has seven district fire chiefs, which make 134 per cent more than the base wage firefighter. However, the city is looking to eliminate the district chief role all together, in favour of creating seven assistant fire chiefs. All district chiefs will be required to re-apply for these new positions. The district chief’s collective agreement also stipulates each one have a command aide. The city says in doing this, all seven command aides will be put into the general firefighter pool.
Francis and Montone both say all these changes will actually make their response and coverage better, because of provincial standard 10-10. This standard requires 10 firefighters to respond to a scene within 10 minutes of a fire call.
Francis says currently the fire department does not meet that standard for 94,000 homes and businesses across the city. By re-deploying their resources, the mayor says they will be able to meet the 10-10 standard for an additional 50,000 homes and businesses.
City council unanimously passed the mayor's plan.
The city’s 2014 operating budget will go unchanged and will remain at $300 million.
