{"id":597749,"date":"2026-04-11T20:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/597749\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T20:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:44:10","slug":"city-fire-inspectors-using-own-vehicles-putting-them-at-risk-union-says-winnipeg-free-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/597749\/","title":{"rendered":"City fire inspectors using own vehicles putting them at risk, union says \u2013 Winnipeg Free Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some of Winnipeg\u2019s fire inspectors are using their own vehicles while on the job, sparking concern their personal safety is being put at risk.<\/p>\n

The United Firefighters of Winnipeg, which represents the inspectors, said there are 11 vehicles for the city\u2019s 16 inspectors, leaving approximately a third of them to use their own.<\/p>\n

Union president Nick Kasper said some feel unsafe after they\u2019ve been photographed on the job, while others have reported being threatened. He worries a personal vehicle could be used to track an inspector.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt creates a psychologically unsafe workplace,\u201d Kasper said.<\/p>\n

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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n

Nick Kasper, president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Inspectors regularly work at apartment buildings and rooming houses to check smoke alarms, examine fire escapes and monitor activities in the city\u2019s encampments, which are prone to fires as people try to keep warm, cook and survive.<\/p>\n

This means they\u2019re often exposed to hazards like bed bugs and cockroaches, which they fear will be transferred to their own vehicles and potentially, their homes, Kasper said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a member, unbeknownst to him, (who) walked through human excrement and it was all over his shoes and pants and you\u2019re forced to get back into your vehicle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While some expenses are covered, other costs associated with the work are not, Kasper said, even as inspectors make thousands of stops every year, City of Winnipeg data show.<\/p>\n

This includes 11,411 inspections in 2022, 10,994 in 2023, and 14,000 inspections targeted for both 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n

Kasper said a city safety audit in 2015 found marked cars for enforcement efforts are important to keeping officers safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur members say, \u2018What is it going to take for change to be made?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cDoes someone need to be seriously injured?\u201d<\/p>\n

Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association, said having more marked vehicles for inspectors would not only improve safety, but increase the department\u2019s visibility.<\/p>\n

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RUTH BONNEVILLE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Feb. 7, just before 10:00 a.m., the Winnipeg Police Service responded to a house fire at 365 Agnes Street which claimed the lives of two women. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

William Whyte is among the hardest hit by fires in Winnipeg. The city has recorded more than 678 structure fires in the area since 2015 \u2014 more than any other neighbourhood in the city. Warren worries one of the inspectors will eventually get hurt, especially if they\u2019re working on enforcement.<\/p>\n

He would like to see more inspections done in William Whyte and other areas hit hard by fires, but he can\u2019t support inspectors doing the job in their own cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a very, very dangerous situation you\u2019re putting those people in,\u201d said Warren.<\/p>\n

However, one city councillor feels the union\u2019s concern is unfounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Kasper is probably \u2014 what\u2019s the right word \u2014 going somewhat overboard on risks to fire inspectors,\u201d said Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski). \u201cI don\u2019t know that there\u2019s a high risk of something happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

After speaking with fire officials, Eadie said it\u2019s his understanding some inspectors are using their own vehicles by choice and have access to a pool vehicle, which he said is underused, adding workers have access to equipment such as protective booties and hazmat suits.<\/p>\n

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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n

Councillor Ross Eadie, who represents the Mynarski Ward, says he thinks the UFFW concerns are overblown.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you say, \u2018Well, we need more motor vehicles\u2019 when the ones we have are already underutilized?\u201d Eadie asked.<\/p>\n

Lisa Gilmour, the city\u2019s assistant chief of community risk reduction, said in a statement the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service takes safety concerns \u201cvery seriously.\u201d She confirmed inspectors are required to use their own vehicles for work, but that\u2019s part of the job description, with reimbursement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did hear a safety concern raised on this issue in the fall. We reviewed any potential safety concerns at that time,\u201d she said in the statement. \u201cNo safety concerns have been reported that would indicate a department vehicle is required.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also said the WFPS has created a list of location types, alongside the associated risks inspection officers might encounter, while on the job.<\/p>\n

She also noted so far, there\u2019s been no scheduling conflicts in terms of access for a pool vehicle inspectors can use to travel to locations they felt posed a safety risk.<\/p>\n

However, Kasper said the pool car has only been around for a month and is the result of concerns raised by the union. Kasper called Eadie\u2019s remarks about the concerns being overblown, \u201cincredibly disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat just demonstrates the level of disconnect that\u2019s going on in our city,\u201d he said. \u201cAs frustrating as it is for me to hear that, I can only imagine how it\u2019s going to be received by our members.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argued inspectors only find out a scenario is dangerous upon arrival and the shortage of vehicles is a symptom of a larger problem within the fire department.<\/p>\n

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some of Winnipeg\u2019s fire inspectors are using their own vehicles while on the job, sparking concern their personal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":597750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194296],"tags":[49,48,22073],"class_list":["post-597749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-winnipeg","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-winnipeg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}