Post by Max on Oct 10, 2007 18:37:33 GMT -3
Posted By Rachel Punch
Posted 1 day ago
The city is going to have to consider spending $1 million to increase the number of career firefighters in Valley East, fire chief Don Donaldson said.
"Guaranteed, the call volume in the Valley has increased to the point that we seriously need to look at upping the career staff out there," Donaldson told councillors during his 2007 update at Tom Davies Square on Wednesday.
The station has one career fire captain, one career firefighter and volunteers. Donaldson said the volunteer system starts to break down once annual calls exceed 200.
"We're well in excess of 300 plus calls in the Valley East area," he said.
"We are approaching the threshold where we are burning our volunteers out."
Donaldson said he is asking to up the complement of career firefighters to four in the Valley.
During his presentation, Donaldson gave an overview of the year to date 2007 call volumes, which are down 8.3 per cent.
Wild land fires are up a "staggering" 52 per cent, he said.
"A lot of that was weather driven early in the season. We had a very hot, dry spring with a lot of hot winds, which make wild fires spread that much easier," he said.
Donaldson said firefighters have had training in ice-water rescue.
Posted 1 day ago
The city is going to have to consider spending $1 million to increase the number of career firefighters in Valley East, fire chief Don Donaldson said.
"Guaranteed, the call volume in the Valley has increased to the point that we seriously need to look at upping the career staff out there," Donaldson told councillors during his 2007 update at Tom Davies Square on Wednesday.
The station has one career fire captain, one career firefighter and volunteers. Donaldson said the volunteer system starts to break down once annual calls exceed 200.
"We're well in excess of 300 plus calls in the Valley East area," he said.
"We are approaching the threshold where we are burning our volunteers out."
Donaldson said he is asking to up the complement of career firefighters to four in the Valley.
During his presentation, Donaldson gave an overview of the year to date 2007 call volumes, which are down 8.3 per cent.
Wild land fires are up a "staggering" 52 per cent, he said.
"A lot of that was weather driven early in the season. We had a very hot, dry spring with a lot of hot winds, which make wild fires spread that much easier," he said.
Donaldson said firefighters have had training in ice-water rescue.