FR Steering Committee Minutes
September 9-10, 2024
222 Queen St, Ottawa, ON
15th Floor Boardroom
Attendees
Paul Jones UNDE EVP – (Chair)
Ryan Sutton (Esquimalt, BC)
James Leblanc (Halifax, NS)
Ben Godin (Petawawa), ON
Steve Granbois (Valcartier, QC)
Jordan Rinehart (Gagetown, NB)
Joel Hildebrand (Wainwright,AB)
Rick Desautels (Shilo,MB)
Brendalee Blaney – (Staff Resource)
9 Sept 2024
President Winger opens the meeting
Discussed the Firefighter Memorial.
According to President Winger 2.33 issue is part of the 25-and-out package.
Asked about the possibility of a buyback for previous service, referencing the military buyback when the reserve pension was created.
Fire Chief Symposium is happening at the same time, President Winger is attending with the list of items from the steering committee.
Areas are having issues around health and safety. Advised the use of appropriate health and safety channels for employer violations, which allows the union to fight more effectively.
Discussed allowing managers to take away leave spots so members can grieve, which helps in the fight for staffing. Encouraged the use of leave.
Staffing Issues
Several staffing issues were raised, with HR Civ attending the next meeting.
The CFFM needs to be accountable for advising HR Civ.
Vehicle Maintenance
Discussed a lack of mechanics and vehicles.
Halifax currently has no aerial. They tried renting, but budget cuts are affecting resources.
No boats are available to pick up people overboard if they have to jump because there is no secondary brow established.
Gagetown and Halifax have trucks sitting in Quebec for extended periods waiting for parts.
June asked about health and safety, and the use of 663 for vehicle-related problems.
James Infantino – Pension Reform
Discussed timelines from James’ document.
Noted the emergence of groups seeking inclusion in pension reform legislation.
Common misconceptions include the 2.33 issue and the 70% at 25 years. 2.33 is not included in the recommended changes to the PSSA. James discussed that if it passes, more members will be included in 25 and out and there will need to be a new push to change the accrual rate.
Last meeting wasn’t as productive as PSPAC had hoped. Discussion on how bill would be introduced did not happen. Several classifications wrote the committee to voice objections of not being included. Next meeting is Sep 19.
FR Staffing – Louis Bisson
Information from the CFFM will be shared with the FR Steering Committee.
Several concerns were raised about staffing processes, different standards across the county. Courses not being available.
FR Classifcation Standards – Paul Dagenais
No classification standard exists for FR1.
The employer evaluates the role of the fire chief and subsequently evaluates the subordinates’ roles (FR1, FR2, FR3, and FR4).
One course is not being offered under FMD 1004. There are questions about whether chiefs can use FMD 1004 as the standard for hiring.
Some bases are using multiple options for hiring, such as non-advertised internal pools, local pools, or national pools.
Question: Is the fire chief compelled to follow the direction or order of the CFFM?
The CFFM will be responsible for evaluating written tests and video interviews for internal job processes.
Members need to be clear on questions asked during the process, as unclear applications could lead to staffing complaints.
Standardized job descriptions are meant to be broad due to the varying nature of work across the country.
As per the PSEA, all candidates must meet merit criteria to obtain a long-term job. The employer has the right to choose FMD 1004 as the tool to assess merit. There is no minimum standard, so they can request any qualifications.
Discussion on the difference between merit and asset criteria (e.g., organizational needs, veterans, spouses, and EE).
Advocacy for FMD 1004 to be the standard for assessment evaluations.
The employer can use any method of assessment to screen candidates (PSEA sections 30, 31, 34, and 36).
Members who are screened out have recourse through formal discussions, emails, or staffing complaints.
Managers are delegated decision-making authority.
Members without access to DWAN should ensure their jobs.ca accounts are accessible to avoid missing the 15-day timeline for filing a staffing complaint.
Day 2 Convened at 0905
Presentation by Joel Hildebrand and Ryan Sutton on the CFFM initiative to create a firefighter-specific fitness evaluation.
The first meeting was held via MS Teams in July with CFFM Ben Gagnon, the CFFM command team, Jennifer Heavey, and the PSP scientific research team.
The intent is to create one fitness test for both military and civilian members to gauge fitness levels.
The standard is not intended to be punitive but could remove firefighters from operational roles until the standard is met. All members and LROs agreed this could be seen as punitive.
1300 – CFFM 2
Discussed global answers for questions on the HAZMAT RP Ops list of services provided.
Regional teams supported. HAZMAT operations-specific courses are coming to Esquimalt, Halifax, Suffield, and Valcartier, with potential training in Borden or onsite from two trainers.
CFFM will look into providing us with the initial draft of the workload and exposure for DND firefighters that was done by Health Canada.
CFFM says budget cuts will not affect vehicle maintenance.
Harvard firefighting research on Health Canada’s screening process may screen firefighters 10 years earlier. Cancer screening from Health Canada is a possibility.
Discussed the effects of PFAS C8 on T-cells, making them ineffective.
Ward’s 2019 project for diesel smoke removal: all new vehicles should have this system.
Directive to lower the time for truck shutdown from 35 to 15 seconds, with an override on trucks to allow more time for entry into firehalls. Joel raised concerns about larger trucks needing more time.
Rick asked about timelines for fitting the system to vehicles. Ben will investigate.
Discussed 40-month wait times to get a truck on order.
The army is looking at life cycles for trucks.
Provided a list of vehicles with the Ward system installed.
Non-fire-related risk assessments will be reviewed. Ben Gagnon will ensure FMD and relevant NFPA standards are met.
No movement on changing manning from 5 to 6 as per the DAOD.
New Fitness Test
Waiting on the human performance group to assess the new fitness test.
Questions arose on who determines if members are unfit for firefighting duties.
Ben stressed the need to ensure all members can fulfill their firefighting roles.
There was discussion about shift schedules and supporting members who are unsuccessful in meeting the standard.
ADM Mat
Joel asked about PFAS-free bunker gear. Marc responded that a PFAS-free liner is a possibility for bunker gear.
ADM Mat will look into whether old station wear would be thrown out and all new orders would be filled by new stock.
ADM Mat noted a lack of proof that the liner in bunker gear has direct transfer.
They are mostly finished with station wear, and most items are available through Logistics.
Discussion about putting wildland gear on the supply scale of issue.
Lead times for wildland gear were discussed.
James inquired if the military could use exact measurements to improve gear fit, but this may conflict with supplier contracts.
There was also a question about whether belts are included with wildland gear.
Asked about the truck issue, but it was noted that this falls under a different department (clothing vs. vehicles).
UCRs for coats and gloves were submitted to get them on the scale of issue.
Members volunteered for clothing trials, with priority being flash hoods, then bunker gear. All members will be submitting orders for station wear and wild land gear to ensure system is working.
A query was raised about the boots for Valcartier.
Meeting adjourned at 1535.