Two new firefighters and a new fire safety inspector will bring some relief to overworked Port Moody firefighters and save the city some money, says the city’s fire chief.
But the full benefits of the additions aren’t likely be felt fully until next year.
Darcey O’Riordan said Port Moody Fire Rescue’s (PMFR) relatively small contingent of 45 professional firefighters and three chief officers deployed over two halls means there’s little wiggle room to account for vacation and sick relief, let alone extended emergencies. As a result they’re often requested or assigned to work overtime.
According to PMFR’s annual community report, firefighters responded to 1,578 incidents in 2022, almost 20 per cent more than the 1,330 calls they answered in 2021. Of those, 969 calls were for medical assistance, 520 answered alarms, 125 were for structure fires or visible smoke and there were 114 calls for motor vehicle accidents. In addition, the department’s firefighters completed almost 6,000 hours of training.
The need to maintain staffing levels to keep up with the department’s busyness cost it half a million dollars in overtime last year, deputy chief Kirk Heaven told city council in a budget presentation last March.
At a subsequent financial update to council in June, O’Riordan said the department’s overtime costs for this year are “already a large number.”
As well, the money PMFR spends on overtime leaves less money in city coffers to pay for upgraded or new equipment along with training expenses.
O’Riordan added beyond that, the extra shifts take a toll on the firefighters’ physical and mental well-being.
“They are exposed to more critical incidents and occupational stress when they work longer shifts,” he told the Tri-City News.
That can further increase the likelihood they’ll need time off, exacerbating the department’s manpower challenges.
O’Riordan said the new hires, which were approved by council in May to be phased in over the next two years, will help. The budget for those new firefighters is almost $343,000.
O’Riordan said even though the hiring process to fill the positions is already underway, “it takes about six months to recruit firefighters because of the extensive testing and interviewing involved.”
He added it will likely be November when the additional firefighters hit the floor where they’ll undergo an additional eight weeks of training before they’re finally put into the regular shift rotation by the end of the year.
That’s when savings — on the ledger and in the health of PMFR’s firefighters — should be realized, O’Riordan said.
“The new firefighters will be able to reduce the number of overtime shifts and relieve the scheduling and overtime pressures,” he said. “Our firefighters are looking forward to training the new recruits and welcoming them to town.”
