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The New Brunswick Association of Fire Chiefs says Sackville residents don’t need to worry about what would happen if a fire broke out, even though nearly half of the local firefighters stepped away from their duties.
The 12 volunteer firefighters at the Sackville Fire and Rescue Department walked off the job in early January over concerns related to workplace safety and harassment. But the department will still be able to respond to emergencies, according to a senior official with the provincial association representing New Brunswick’s fire services.
“There’s contingency plans in place in all departments for something that does happen like this,” said Kevin Theriault, fire chief in St. Andrews and second vice president with the association.
“So the response times will still be there, the department will still be responding,”
Theriault said every department in the province, including his own, has a contingency plan.
“We wrote our contingency plans through COVID. So, it’s to call on neighbouring departments and have members from their departments come staff our station … and just make sure there’s a crew here,” Theriault said.
The 12 firefighters collectively turned in their pagers to Tantramar’s chief administrative officer, Jennifer Borne, on the morning of Jan. 5, bringing the number of active firefighters in Sackville down to 18 — significantly lower than the full complement of 43.
WATCH | What happens if there’s a big fire in Sackville now?
Nearly half of Sackville’s firefighters step away from duties because of workplace complaints
Twelve firefighters turned in their pagers this month and say they won’t return until problems with workplace conditions are resolved.
Sackville is one of three fire departments operating in the municipality of Tantramar along. The other departments are located in Dorchester and Pointe de Bute.
The 12 firefighters did not agree to an on-camera interview with CBC News, but issued a statement citing concerns at the department regarding workplace safety, harassment and favouritism.
“These concerns were raised repeatedly by current members and echo issues previously identified by former members of the department,” said the statement.
This is not the first time that issues have been raised at the Sackville fire department. In 2021, a “comprehensive workplace assessment” was commissioned from Montana Consulting Group. The final report made 20 recommendations for changes within the department, although the report itself was never made public.
The statement from the group of 12 said there have not been “meaningful changes” in the years since.
Municipality takes concerns ‘very seriously’
Tantramar’s mayor and council as well as its CAO did not respond to requests for an interview, but the municipality issued a statement about the situation.
“Tantramar takes all allegations … very seriously and is committed to providing a harassment free environment where all workers are treated with dignity and respect,” said the statement, citing its workplace harassment and violence policy.
New Brunswick’s Office of the Fire Marshal says it does provide support to jurisdictions that request it, but that so far Tantramar has not made that request.
In the meantime, the 12 Sackville firefighters have accepted an invitation from municipal officials to meet to discuss the situation, but it’s unclear when that meeting will be.
The firefighters and municipal officials in Tantramar have agreed to meet to discuss the situation. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)
The firefighters said they aren’t resigning. Instead, they’re stepping aside from their duties until their concerns are addressed.
“Stepping away is intended to underscore the seriousness of the situation and the need for prompt, effective intervention by the employer,” their statement said.
Theriault said he hopes the firefighters and the municipality can come to an agreement.
“Communication is vital with any service. You’ve got to be able to work things through,” he said. “So hopefully they can sit down and come through with some type of strategy going forward.”