Last week, 30 volunteer firefighters for the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) went off duty due to concerns about safety. At no time were MD or Town of Bonnyville residents without adequate protection, according to Regional Fire Chief Brian McEvoy.
“We were able to realign our response areas and everything else to make sure that everybody was covered,” said McEvoy in an interview with the Nouvelle. “We were able to… reassign primary response duties to different stations.”
Fourteen of the off-duty firefighters are from the Bonnyville Fire Department and 16 are from the LaCorey Fire Department.
A letter sent to the BRFA Friday and signed by 14 firefighters outlines concerns over firefighters’ bunker gear being too old and not sufficiently protective, operating outside Occupational Health and Safety guidelines, the air compressor system not being properly serviced, and the way an accident in which a member broke his back was handled.
The letter states that when firefighters asked for documentation of the safety concerns, they were met with disrespect.
In a press release issued by the MD and Town of Bonnyville Monday, McEvoy admitted some of the firefighters’ issues were valid, but would not specify which ones these were in an interview, until he meets with firefighters.
He also would not say if he hoped to reach a resolution for the firefighters to return until after the meeting.
Former elected deputy chief James Sharun received a letter stating he was terminated without cause.
As he assumed a leadership role, he said he felt he had to push for a change in safety. He said he thinks he was terminated because he was the “front guy” that tried “to push the Authority for compliance and accountability on the safety side of things.”
McEvoy said the BRFA has had enough people recommit to ensure adequate response for the community, but would not specify numbers. He said the BRFA will continue to recruit, as all volunteer fire services do.
“They’re not newbees by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.
“I don’t think they have adequate numbers to protect the community based on what we’ve looked at,” said Sharun.
Even if they bring in new recruits, training competency would have to be achieved before they were to go on duty, he said.
Sharun volunteered with the BRFA for 12 years. He said there would have to be “drastic changes within the Authority” for him to come back, including safety and better accountability.
A firefighter who wished to remain anonymous said many of the firefighters would return to active duty if Sharun was re-instated and their safety concerns were addressed. The firefighter said the safety concerns have existed for years, but came to a head last week.
The Regional Fire Authority Board is scheduled to meet Dec. 9 to address firefighters’ concerns.
