Thompson at 'crisis point' on firefighter vacancies: union

The Thompson Professional Firefighters Association is sounding the alarm on rising call volumes and stagnant staff levels that is says could affect public safety, with the northern Manitoba city's fire department short eight full-time members — the equivalent of a third of its workforce.

At the same time, 2023 was the busiest year on record for the city's fire and emergency services department, according to union president Travis Mirus, with a total of 9,034 calls for service — up more than six per cent compared to 2022.

"It's virtually to a crisis point for us here in Thompson," Mirus said. "We just are having a difficult time keeping pace with the demand for service."

He says the department is short eight full-time members, and should have a complement of 24 firefighter-paramedics, who are cross-trained to staff both fire trucks and the ambulances.

The current levels mean the department is essentially short an entire shift, which in turn means more overtime, with each member working an average of around 600 extra hours in 2023, Mirus said.

The department does not typically have 24-hour shifts, but saw about 250 instances last year where firefighters had to work 24-hour shifts.

Mirus says there were eight 24-hour periods in January where no ambulance was available, and fire response would have been significantly affected.

He worries 2024 will be even more challenging for the understaffed department and lead to burnout.

"Every new year is busier than the last," he said. "It's tough on them because everyone's working a lot of hours."

Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook says recruitment has long been a challenge in the north.

About five years ago, the city had funding, programming and people in place to train firefighters, she said, but at the last minute, plans with the University College of the North fell through. 

"Since then we have struggled," said Smook.

Firefighter staffing levels in Thompson need to be addressed, since the city is a hub for the north, she said. While the city has just under 14,000 residents, it serves up to 60,000 residents in the region, she said.

Mirus said in his 22 years with the Thompson Fire Department, he's seen about 175 firefighters cycle through.