For the first time in decades, the Moncton Fire Department has increased its minimum daily staffing.

There are now at least 22 firefighters on duty across the city every shift instead of 21.

Eight probationary firefighters recently graduated from the department’s 10-week training program.

Lt. Jeremy Quillian, president of the Moncton Firefighters Association, said it is the first staffing increase since 1970.

“We all know that the city is growing very rapidly right now, and with that growth comes challenges with our responses,” Quillian said in an interview.

“With our increase in responses, it ultimately means we need more responders for hands-on calls and assisting the citizens of Moncton.”

Population growth

City officials estimate Moncton’s population has surpassed 100,000 people — a number they were not expecting to hit until 2031.

One extra firefighter per shift may not seem like a lot, but Quillian said it can make a big difference when responding to emergencies.

“In this specific instance, we’ve added a lieutenant to our heavy rescue truck, so now there’ll be two members on that vehicle where there used to just be one,” he said.

“When that vehicle arrives at a fire scene, a car accident, an alarm, now we’ll have two more sets of hands, essentially another crew that we can utilize instead of having that truck staged with the one member on it.”

More firefighters to come?

While it has been more than four decades since the department’s last staffing level increase, Quillian does not expect they will go that long again.

The union, the fire chief and the city are all on the same page when it comes to recognizing the need for more staffing, he said.

“We’re all working towards that end goal of continuously increasing our staffing, so I think over the next few years, we may even see that number increase more,” said Quillian.

“We realize it will take time, but the city is definitely showing that they’re on board to upstaff and to show the citizens of Moncton that they’re interested in their safety.”