P.A. Firefighters Union President Ben Hunter helps knock down a fire at P.A. Radiator on May 6, 2025. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)
Public safety

P.A. Firefighters union raises alarm over staffing

May 8, 2025 | 5:00 PM

The President of the Prince Albert Firefighters Association IAFF Local 510 is very concerned that someone is going to be in need of help and there will be no one available to respond.

Ben Hunter noted that in the past week and a half, the fire department has fought seven structure fires, and during six of those fires while firefighters were fully committed, no backup crews were called in to assist at the scene or look after the station.

“Those members also help us get those trucks back in service quicker and have them ready at the hall so when we are done at a fire, we can get to get our equipment back up and running as quickly as possible,” he said.

The concern is that during six critical periods of time, the rest of Prince Albert was left completely unprotected.

Hunter noted they have a great group of dedicated staff who are amazing firefighters, and while they may be able to put out fires within two to 11 minutes, there are often hours of work to do afterwards.

“And that still requires having full crews on scene because Occupational Health and Safety mandates that we have a two-and-two out rule, and to maintain that we need more than just a few people on scene,” he said.

Hunter, who has been with the department since 2013, said when he first started, they did 917 calls that year and by 2024, it increased to almost 2,000.

“We’re getting busier and busier every year,” he said.

A house fire on 11th Street East kept crews tied up for a number of hours. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Hunter also confirmed the decision to call in backup is determined by the battalion chief who represents the incident commander.

“I mean, let’s be honest, there’s been a big push for savings in the city over the last few years with budgets and everything costing more, but there shouldn’t be a price put on firefighter safety. In the association’s mind, we’re out there protecting the city, doing the best job we can, and we’re just asking to have people to help us do that,” he said.

Added to Hunter’s concerns are staffing levels, and he said the number of actual firefighters per shift has only grown by one since 1990, and the move from 11 to 12 did not come until 2023. In 2008, the city’s master plan identified the need for additional fire halls and the city has grown and expanded a lot since those days.

“We haven’t seen the increase in staffing, and we are so far away from the national standards as far as response times go that you know we’ve lost sight of the ability to even get there in a reasonable amount of time. I think something needs to happen relatively soon, or there’s a risk to everybody.”

Hunter also noted the investment that has been made into the new pool and rinks at the yard.

“We’ve built this beautiful new facility for sports, but we haven’t invested in the community to make the community a safer place. We’ve got all these attractions, but you know they’re all being built farther away from the city, so it increases our response time again,” he said.

Response from fire chief

Stating he could not comment on specific calls, Deputy Chief Alex Paul confirmed City Council dictates the level of service and sets the funding for the department, which also applies to the actual number of firefighters.

He also explained that the department has essentially two engine companies working out of the same building, and in the event of a structure fire, both get sent out. Additional staff members are called in if both engine companies are going to be tied up for a prolonged period of time.

“If they feel that they can handle the situation in a very short period of time, or have the ability to release one of those crews to respond to a second emergency that may occur, then that call back won’t take place,” Paul explained.

On Thursday, ,members of the union helped raise funds for McHappy Day. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Noting the time it takes for additional staff to come and get ready, Paul said the average time to get a crew assembled ranges from 30 to 45 minutes.

“So if we think we can deal with an incident in 15 or 20 mins, it makes no sense to call somebody in because they’re not even in the building before the incident is handled and the crews are on their way back,” he said.

The National Standard requires fire departments to respond to emergencies within four minutes and have a full first alarm assignment on scene within 8 minutes.

The union claims Prince Albert is failing these life-saving standards. Paul explained the four minutes that’s being referred to is the drive time from the station. Ninety seconds are allowed for the 9-1-1 call and 80 seconds for turnout.

Municipalities also have the authority to dictate standards and Paul noted a bylaw change made by the City 12 years ago that allows for more time.

City council agreed to adopt a maximum response time of 9 minutes and 30 seconds, in order to be able to reach all areas of the city and avoid liability.

The suggestion was put forward in a report by then fire chief Les Karpluk. He said the lower standard was needed because until a new fire hall was built, firefighters simply couldn’t reach areas of the city fast enough.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Blue Sky: @nigelmaxwell.bsky.social

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