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FIRE CHIEFS TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
NEW DATA CONFIRMS DISTURBING TRENDS  IMPACTING FIRE SAFETY

Ottawa – December 5, 2023 – New data from the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) confirms more problematic trends concerning fire safety in Canada. Another drop in volunteer fire fighters, inability to replace aging equipment, pumpers, and tankers; and a lack of coordination will severely impact response capacity into 2024 and beyond, unless we act now.

To discuss the issues and asks, 40 fire chiefs from different parts of the country will travel to Ottawa to meet with government officials this week. They will call on the Federal Government to help restore response capacity by increasing the firefighter tax credit, helping to modernize equipment, and better positioning Canada to avoid the predictable consequences of inaction. 

Among the survey highlights

• 54% of all fire departments are now deferring equipment purchases due to fiscal pressures, up from 41% in 2022.
  
  • 24% of departments are operating with primary turn-out gear (that can withstand extreme heat) 10+ years old 
    
  • 62% of departments are still using pumper fire trucks 15+ years old 
    
  • 33% of departments are trying to maintain tankers 20+ years old – which are a critical part of emergency response.

All of which exceed Industry standards and best practices.

• 9,500 volunteer firefighters, averaging 10-12 years of experience, left the fire sector in 2023 losing well over 100,000 years of critical experience.
  
  • 28% of volunteer departments report that their firefighters pay for out-of-pocket expenses such as mileage, gear, equipment, tools, gas and more.
    
  • 30% (38,208) of Canada’s firefighters are 50+, and are imminently set to retire
    

While the 2023 fire season was unprecedented, the solutions needed have been known for some time and articulated in position papers submitted to the federal government over the past few years. 

• Increase the volunteer firefighter tax credit from $3K to $10K to help retain volunteer firefighters
  
• Reinstate the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program to help replenish the supply of equipment from fire trucks to radio communications.
• Fund FireSmart™, critical infrastructure assessments and resilience plans in all communities to maximize resilience during wildfire season
• Establish a National Fire Administration to better coordinate, advise, lead and support the complexity of fire situation in Canada, just as comparator countries have done in response to such crises. 
  

Quotes

“We are asking the Federal Government to send a clear a message to this country’s firefighters – and to all Canadians in Budget 2024 -  that they will stand shoulder to shoulder with us in ensuring the retention of essential personnel by increasing the volunteer firefighter and search and rescue tax credit. This is a realistic, affordable and necessary step to put Canada first as we approach next wildfire season.”

– Ken McMullen, CAFC President, Chief of Emergency Services, Red Deer, Alberta

“Establishing a National Fire Administration will be one of the most consequential policy instruments in the history of fire and emergency management in Canada. It will allow Canada to recognize, address and coordinate, on a regular, systematic, and national basis, all fire and emergency management issues.”

 – Keri Martens, CAFC Vice President, Deputy Fire Chief, Banff, Alberta

About the CAFC

Founded in 1909, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) is an independent, non-profit organization representing approximately 3,200 fire departments across Canada. CAFC’s mission is to promote the highest standard of public safety in an every-changing and increasingly complex world to ensure the protection of the public through leadership, advocacy, and active collaboration with key stakeholders. For more information: www.cafc.ca. For the past three years, the CAFC has published the Great Canadian Fire Census is intended to help monitor the state of the sector, identify the gaps, substantiate concerns about key issues and make recommendations for the future. More recently it has published Towards a National Fire Administration, which details a national fire administration model for Canada. 

For more information:

Elissa Freeman for the CAFC

Tel: 416-565-5605

Elissafreeman@gmail.com

Additional Quotes

“The unfortunate clarity of the fire crisis is knowing what needs to be done in service of safety, from installing a national fire administration to increasing the volunteer firefighter tax credit to replacing aging equipment, to implementing Firesmart™ principles, we just have to do it.”

 – Keven Lefebvre, Chair of the CAFC Data Committee, Fire Chief Leduc County, Alberta

“During wildfire season, everyday fire and emergency response needs continue in every community across Canada. If we can’t retain volunteer firefighters, by next summer all provinces and local communities will be forced into choices no one wants to make. Let’s put Canada first and take the steps needed now to show all firefighters that we will stand shoulder to shoulder with them.”

 – Greg Jones, Board Member, President Fire Services Association of Nova Scotia, Fire Chief, Amherst, Nova Scotia

“FireSmart works, but it’s not free. Resources are required to help communities get the work done. When we do this work, we increase resilience of communities in the face of wildfire. This is an affordable and practical solution that we hope to see in Budget 2024. ”

 – Trevor Brice, CAFC Board Member, Fire Chief, Okotoks, Alberta

“Fire sector equipment isn’t cheap, but the longer it deteriorates, the more difficult it is to replace. The former Joint Emergency Preparedness Program, cost shared with the provinces, is a  mechanism to help keep the gap in check. Leadership is required to align all levels of government in addressing an issue that is as urgent as affordable housing and climate adaptation.”

 – Paul Boissonneault, Co-Chair CAFC Leadereship Committee, Fire Chief, Oakville, Ontario

“The Fire Sector has a proud history of innovative self-sufficiency, from recruiting volunteer firefighters to community risk reduction, to pancake breakfasts for equipment purchases. However, with the unprecedented fires we have seen, federal leadership will be required to align all levels of government towards a common goal, let’s start by increasing the volunteer firefighter tax credit.”

 – Vince MacKenzie, Chair of the Answer the Call Committee, Fire Chief, Grand Falls Windsor, Newfoundland

“Fire Chiefs from across this country, including each of the povincial, territorial and national affiliate fire related organization making up a national advisory council, believe in public policy that is anchored in good data and practical realities, the results of the 3rd annual fire census provides policy makers with the evidence it needs to make important investments in the fire sector as soon as possible.”

 – Peter Krich, Chair of the CAFC National Advisory Council, Fire Chief, Camrose, Alberta