By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ryan Doyle doesn’t think the firefighters’ union should be dictating how Chatham-Kent Fire and Rescue deploys its personnel.
To that end the South Kent councillor brought forward a successful motion at council Sept. 21, asking administration to create a sweeping report to examine every aspect of how C-K’s emergency fire services are delivered.
Doyle, who serves as a volunteer firefighter with Raleigh Station #15, expressed strong criticism for the current staffing model – particularly in relation as to how Wallaceburg’s Station #3 is manned.
It’s not safe, Doyle told fellow councillors.
Currently in Wallaceburg, four firefighters are on duty at all times. But if those firefighters are in need of backup, full-time firefighters from Chatham’s Station #2 are deployed to Wallaceburg, rather than drawing from the community’s 10 volunteer firefighters.
Doyle said the journey from Chatham to Wallaceburg takes 20 to 30 minutes, which necessitates the call in of additional full-time employees to Chatham’s Station # 2.
This raises safety concerns in both Wallaceburg and Chatham, Doyle told council, noting volunteers could easily close the gaps.
“During that time, fire coverage in Chatham is also short-staffed,” he added.
“It should be up to the chiefs to send out firefighters from the quickest hall able to respond,” Doyle explained, “whether you’re full-time or volunteer.”
Doyle’s lengthy multi-pronged motion prompted extensive discussion around the council horseshoe, with questions and comments dragging the matter into the procedural weeds.
Doyle, who is not seeking re-election, said he brought the motion forward in part in response to the International Association of Fire Fighters’ (IAFF) formal censure of chief Chris Case and assistant chief Dan Parent. He said he wanted to bring the staffing issue up three years ago “because of things I saw going on,” but he was told to hold off until the release of the Chatham-Kent Master Fire Plan.
Doyle, who was cautioned about some of his comments by Chatham-Kent director of legal services Emily Crawford, said he formally reached out to C-K’s integrity commissioner before bringing the motion forward in open council.
Before any discussion took place, Crawford flagged the fact that labour relations issues must be discussed in closed session.
Four years in the making, the Chatham-Kent Master Fire Plan was presented to council in 2024. The 235-page document lays out a strategic plan for the next decade, with a goal to blend the entirety of Chatham-Kent’s fire service into what’s termed a “full-integrated composite” service.
When the document was presented to council two years ago, its author stated a divide still exists within the service between full-time career fighters and volunteer firefighters, stemming from tensions that arose when all of C-K’s 19 fire stations were merged in the 1998 amalgamation.
The consultant who helped prepare a report on the fire master plan said a divide still exists between full-time career firefighters and volunteer firefighters.
Strife between the Chatham-Kent’s Fire & Rescue leadership and the International Association of Firefighters is ongoing, sources said.
Doyle said professional firefighters and volunteers are trained and certified to the same standards under the National Fire Protection Association.
Some members of council thought the matter should be deferred to the next council, stating council shouldn’t be involved in day-to-day operations of the fire service. However, a motion to do so by Chatham Coun. Brock McGregor failed.
North Kent Coun. Rhonda Jubenville said she was supporting Doyle’s motion, as people in Wallaceburg had reached out to her with concerns about safety.
Part of the motion okayed the hiring of a consultant at a cost of up to $50,000, which led to more questions. In his comments, South Kent Coun. Anthony Ceccacci asked why another report is necessary, stating the work has already been done.
Prior to the council meeting, members of the C-K IAFF gathered outside, as evidenced by a post circulated on social media. Around 20 individuals dressed in yellow “professional ” firefighter’s T-shirts filled one side of council chambers during the meeting.
Chatham-Kent’s administration and IAFF 486 are currently in contract negotiations and the matter has now gone to arbitration.
The majority of Doyle’s motion was approved in a 12 to 5 vote.
Following a request from Ceccacci, the aspect of “expanding volunteer and paid call-in participation in station coverage and emergency response when operationally feasible” passed 11 to 6.
