A new platform ladder truck is now part of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service fleet, as the City of Winnipeg continues a long-term plan to modernize its equipment.

The truck was officially welcomed Friday during a traditional “pushing-in” ceremony. The city says it is on track to replace every ladder truck in its fleet within a 10-year period.

Press conference at the Winnipeg fire dept. on Feb. 20, 2026. (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)

“What this is about today really is about making sure the residents of our city can get the fire and paramedic response they need at the right time. It’s about ensuring that our staff that do the great work that they do day in and day out have the equipment they need,” said Scott Gillingham, mayor of Winnipeg.

Union officials say replacing aging equipment is critical as call volumes continue to strain crews and apparatus across the system.

“We have a number of apparatuses that have been on order for some time, this is one of those heavy fleet that was purchased. So it’s gonna be replacing our aerial ladder number one out of Station One which is the busiest fire station in North America, so it’s a welcome piece of replacement for that apparatus for that truck there that sees over 4,000 calls per year,” said Nick Kasper, president, United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg.

While the new truck is seen as a positive addition, Fire and Paramedic Chief Christian Schmidt pointed to staffing as a more pressing concern.

“Through the 2026 budget we’ve been afforded the opportunity to hire additional fire fighters who will be assigned to this pool. And we’ll be able to staff them across the four shifts, basically the four platoons in a more flexible manner,” said Christian Schmidt, fire and paramedic chief, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.

Kasper said more resources are still needed.

“We did see the fire chief call for 40 additional positions. In 2026 the council responded with 10, we were able to increase that to 20. So that’s gonna certainly help with overtime costs. The department pays over 10 million dollars per year in overtime. But it’s not gonna be adding any firefighters to the street in terms of response capacity or prevention capacity,” said Kasper.

In addition to new hires, Schmidt highlighted the establishment of a new wellness clinic aimed at supporting frontline staff.

“We’re hiring on nine personnel that will be dedicated to assisting fire paramedic service personnel in their recovery, and assist in their return to the work place,” said Schmidt.

City officials say the combination of updated equipment and targeted staffing investments is intended to strengthen emergency response across Winnipeg, while union leaders maintain further expansion will be needed to meet growing demand.