The Standard
  • Home
  • News
    • Archives
    • Editorial
    • Shorelines
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Happenings
    • Press Releases
  • Sports
  • Columns
    • The Caped Cearnsader - Dan Cearns
    • Walk Softly - Geoff Carpentier
    • THE STORY BEHIND THE PERSON - Jonathan van Bilsen
    • YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING - Jonathan Van Bilsen
    • Tina Y. Gerber
  • About/Contact
    • Links
    • Pick up a paper
    • Standard Access
  • Other
    • Subscribe to newsletter
    • Media >
      • Audio
      • Games
      • Flip books
      • Website Design
    • Recipes
    • Shop Local
    • Young Adults

Concerns raised over Scugog Fire response model

5/2/2013

Comments

 
BLAKE WOLFE The Standard
SCUGOG:
Scugog's full-time firefighters and Chief Richard Miller remain in talks over recent changes to the department's response model, stemming from the new four-day work week for full-timers implemented this week.

Firefighter Clint Walker, president of the Scugog Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local 4679 representing the department's full-time personnel, said that "a number of solutions" have been presented to the chief to remedy what the full-time firefighter described as the potential for delayed responses in the return to an all-call paging model, in which volunteers are called to every emergency. The system, which the department used until the hiring of Scugog's third full-time firefighter in 2007, was reinstated Monday (April 29) as the department's full time staff moved to a four-day schedule working from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with only one or two days during the week where all three full-timers work together. The four-day schedule was part of an arbitration award to full-time firefighters announced in February, which also included a pay increase of more than 26 per cent retroactive to 2009.

The reason for the return to the all-call model, said Chief Miller in a recent report to Scugog Council, is to ensure all responses, no matter the time, are covered by an adequate number of firefighters. He added in his report that he doesn't expect response times to be affected due to the schedule change. Chief Miller said at a recent council meeting that an organizational review of the department is also in the works.

While Mr. Walker declined to detail his proposed solutions due to the ongoing discussions, he said that he is concerned that response times will be affected if full time staff are required to wait for a sufficient number of volunteers before responding to emergencies.

"The problem is that during the day," said Mr. Walker, "you don't know how many volunteers you're going to get. They have other responsibilities like family and jobs. We (full time firefighters) were hired to guarantee response and responses will be hindered (if we are required to wait for enough volunteers)."

Mr. Walker said that numbers quoted in the Chief's report could also be misleading if taken strictly at face value. Although the report states that last year, full-timers responded to 57 calls on their own, Mr. Walker added that full-timers "still respond to 100 per cent of calls during our shift."

And while he raised concerns that news of the arbitration award may bring criticism from residents, particularly in regards to wage increases, he has received no negative feedback.

"We're in a small town and we all grew up here and we like to think we have a job to be proud of," said Mr. Walker.

"People in the community seem to understand and we haven't heard anything negative."
We reserve the right to remove any and all comments for any reason. Comments with swearing will be deleted without exception.
Comments
comments powered by Disqus
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Flip book Archives

    Categories

    All
    Agriculture
    Alex-ross
    Als-challenge
    Animal
    Arts-entertainment
    Audio Available
    Benjamin-priebe
    Blackstock
    Blake-wolfe
    Caesarea
    Cartwright
    Construction
    Dan Cearns
    Darryl Knight
    Darryl-knight
    Download
    Durham
    Education
    Environment
    Event
    Financial Matters
    Food Beverages2578654cce
    Goodwood
    Greenbank
    Guest-writer
    Health
    Heritage
    Joe-lebouthillier
    Kawartha-lakes
    Local-business
    Nancy-melcher
    News
    North-durham
    Police
    Politics
    Port-perry
    Relay-for-life
    Scugog
    Scugog-island
    Shirley-love
    Sports
    Uninion
    Uoit
    Uxbridge
    Youth
    Zephyr

The Standard News Corp. © 2018
  • Home
  • News
    • Archives
    • Editorial
    • Shorelines
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Happenings
    • Press Releases
  • Sports
  • Columns
    • The Caped Cearnsader - Dan Cearns
    • Walk Softly - Geoff Carpentier
    • THE STORY BEHIND THE PERSON - Jonathan van Bilsen
    • YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING - Jonathan Van Bilsen
    • Tina Y. Gerber
  • About/Contact
    • Links
    • Pick up a paper
    • Standard Access
  • Other
    • Subscribe to newsletter
    • Media >
      • Audio
      • Games
      • Flip books
      • Website Design
    • Recipes
    • Shop Local
    • Young Adults