Call volumes for Moncton Firefighters continue to rise.
“Last year, the call volume we had was over 9100. I checked online through our dispatch system the other day, and on August 22, we were already 650 calls past what we had done last year, which has to take a toll on my staff. Sometimes they’re not even getting back from one call, and they’re getting sent on another one, ” Moncton Fire Deputy Chief Keith Guptill told our newsroom.
He says they are working with the city in an effort to make sure staffing levels are the best they can be based on circumstances.
“We’ve had a lot of folks that have really stepped up with regards to overtime. Even after the forest fire in Irishtown, we staffed our tankers for a few weeks because of the dry conditions. We’ve taken the steps we can, but it’s definitely impacting our crew. Some of them are struggling.”
The types of calls firefighters are responding to have also changed over the years.
“We do a lot of medical calls. We do confined space calls, water rescue calls, high-angle rescue calls, and low-angle rescue calls. Our off-road buggy has been out a number of times with four-wheeler incidents and accidents out on the trails. Between that are motor vehicle collisions and alarm calls,” Guptill stated.
Departments have had to change the way they do things over time, with additional training.
He adds that they also see a huge number of calls from security companies that have home systems installed for things like fire and smoke, “It all goes through to a call centre. It’s not just like a little smoke detector going off in the kitchen. If you burn some bacon, the alarm call centre is notified. The call centre automatically calls 911, and then we get sent, just to make sure everything is okay.”
Guptill says encampments are a concern, especially with the dry conditions we’ve had, “We’re pretty aware about where most of the encampments are, so we know what to expect when they get to those scenes.”
He encourages residents to call in if they do see smoke that is out of the ordinary. Guptill adds that the more specific you can be with details, the more helpful it is for the team that is responding.
