2024 was another record year for the Moncton Fire Department.
Firefighters from Moncton’s five departments responded to 15,336 unit responses to 9,134 emergency calls, which is a 17.5 per cent increase over 2023, which was also a record-breaking year.
“We are extremely happy seeing our city grow, watching the population grow. But with that, we have an increase in call volume. That increase in call volume ranges from fire alarms to car accidents and medical calls, and that continually puts a stress on our responses,” Moncton Firefighters Association President Ashley Graham says.
He adds that a study was conducted two years ago in the City of Moncton by Insurance Underwriters, who looked at the risk factors for fire protection.
“With that study, they found over the next 10 years, with the growth of the city, and looking at what the risks are, they recommended over 32 firefighters be added to the Moncton Fire Department. That’s 32 responding, that’s an extra little ladder truck and that’s an extra engine, ” Graham says.
Currently, the department has a minimum of 21 firefighters that can respond at one time.
He adds that the City hired a Consultant to look at not only fire, but other areas of response including medical calls, water rescue, high-angle rescue, and HAZMAT. That report is expected to be coming out in 2025.
“I do expect that it’s going to call for a significant increase in the Moncton Fire Department for staffing levels.”
Graham says newer homes burn faster because of their construction. This means they need to get to the scene faster. “More often than not, all of our resources are being used. If another incident comes in, we may not be able to respond to it in a timely manner to mitigate that issue.”
He also points out that ten years ago, high-rise buildings, which are anything over six stories, had grown. “When there is a fire in a high rise, we have to carry all the equipment up. Once you get up there, you have to fight the fire and do rescues. It’s a very demanding task when you have a major fire with a lot of exposure.”
Burnout is also a big concern for Moncton firefighters.
“Being in the profession, being a first responder, being a firefighter, you do it to help people. I became a firefighter over 21 years ago, and every time the alarm goes off, you’re part of somebody’s worst day. It could be something minimal for us because we see so many incidents, but for that person, it’s probably one of the most challenging days of their life. So part of our job is trying to make that, worst day a little bit better. Reassuring them, and helping them as much as we can,” Graham says.
The number of overdoses in the City of Moncton has also risen, and Graham says that has been difficult mentally because they are often going back to the same person over and over again.
Graham explained the Association is not trying to fearmonger, it’s more about being proactive, “Let’s not wait for a major incident to happen and then all of a sudden there’s an inquest. They’ll look at, why did this happen? And the answer may be that there was a lack of staffing, lack of equipment. Let’s plan ahead. Let’s make sure that we don’t get into that situation.”
He stressed the big thing is keeping the public educated.
“The Moncton Fire Department has seen positive changes in the last 30 years. Our scope has changed a lot. We’ve added EMR, which is our first responder, to help mitigate major medical emergencies, to stabilize and help people out until the paramedics get there. We do water rescue and high-angle rescue. With all the cranes we have in the city, we have trained professionals. We have confined space training, and we have a provincial HAZMAT team. But it takes more personnel to be able to do them in a correct, safe manner,” Graham stresses.
