We need a plan, and then we need to follow it. Charlottetown has grown, but our fire service has not kept pace. Staffing and infrastructure are overdue. The third station is important, but a building without firefighters and equipment will not solve the problem.

We need a fully costed Fire Master Plan based on the Fire Underwriters Survey, the advice of our Fire Chief, information from our frontline firefighters and the needs of a growing city. It should have timelines, and Council should report publicly on the progress.

We also need to address the difference in service across Charlottetown. Residents pay taxes to the same City and should be able to expect comparable immediate fire protection. Your address should not decide how quickly an effective response reaches you.

Yes, of course. If the City knows where new homes, apartment buildings and businesses are going, it should also know what will be needed to protect them.

We should be looking at call volumes, response times, the location and type of new development, the number of firefighters available and where our stations and equipment are located. We also need to listen to the people who actually do this work.

No, I don’t believe it has received enough consideration.
We’ve approved growth without always having an honest discussion about what that growth means for fire protection and other City services. That needs to change.

When major developments come before Council, fire service capacity should be part of the discussion. Can firefighters reach it quickly? Do they have the people and equipment needed? Does the development create new risks?

I support growth, but we have to plan for it properly. Public safety cannot be figured out after the buildings are already there.

No one is suggesting that the City can fix every staffing issue in one budget. But that cannot be an excuse to keep putting it off.

We need a multi-year hiring plan with money attached to it. It must account for retirements, training, time off and the staff needed for additional stations.

The first step should be a minimum of four professional firefighters on the initial on-duty response. After that, the City needs steady yearly progress toward properly staffed stations and equitable service across Charlottetown.

Set the targets, fund them and report publicly on whether we met them. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.

Charlottetown’s volunteer firefighters have served this city for well over a century. Their history, dedication and commitment deserve our respect. They have played an important role in protecting Charlottetown and will continue to do so.

This should never become career firefighters against volunteer firefighters. We need enough career firefighters on duty to provide a dependable immediate response, with a strong volunteer force working alongside them and backing them up.

We should look honestly at response times, turnout, availability during the day and night, call volumes and how often more than one emergency happens at the same time. If the facts show that changes are needed, then Council has to act.

Council’s job is not to run the fire department. That is the Fire Chief’s job. Council’s job is to listen, ask questions and provide the resources needed to do the work safely.

Money will always be a consideration. I understand that. But Council also has to consider the cost of doing nothing.

If the Fire Chief says the department needs more resources, Council should ask for the facts, understand the risk and develop a plan to address it. We may not be able to do everything in one year, but we can start.

Public and worker safety must be at the top of the list.

I’ve compared Charlottetown’s fire service with departments in other municipalities. What I’ve seen tells me we can do better, particularly when it comes to staffing, investment and planning.

I would still want the full picture: response times, call volumes, staffing, available equipment, coverage throughout the city and what happens when more than one emergency occurs at the same time. I would also want the Fire Chief’s advice, input from frontline firefighters and the findings of the Fire Underwriters Survey.

We don’t have to copy another municipality, but we should be willing to learn from those doing things better. If the evidence shows that our residents or firefighters are being placed at risk, then fire service investment must take priority over projects that can wait.

The City asked for the Fire Underwriters Survey and paid for it. We should release it, read it and use it.

It should be a major part of the Fire Master Plan, along with advice from the Fire Chief and the experience of frontline career and volunteer firefighters.

We’ve seen too many studies and recommendations sit without action. If Council disagrees with a recommendation or cannot act on it immediately, then Council should explain why and say what it plans to do instead.

No more reports sitting on shelves!

Yes. The public paid for it and has a right to know what it says. Unless there is specific information that legally has to be withheld for privacy or security reasons, the report should be released in full. Transparency is the only way forward.

I would ask: “What needs to be done first to better protect our residents and firefighters, and what do you need from Council to get it done?”

I would want a direct answer. Then I would want Council to establish what can be done immediately and what needs to be included in the next budget.

Charlottetown should have properly located and staffed fire stations, reliable equipment and comparable immediate fire protection throughout the city.

Career firefighters should provide a dependable first response, supported by trained and properly equipped volunteer firefighters. Both groups need to be respected and given the resources to do their jobs safely.

During my term, I would want to see the third station move forward with a real staffing plan, immediate improvements to career staffing and a Fire Master Plan that is public, funded and acted upon.

Staffing. I would begin with a minimum of four professional firefighters on the initial on-duty response and build from there through a funded Fire Master Plan.

We need the third station. We need reliable equipment. We need our volunteer firefighters. But buildings and trucks cannot respond by themselves.

We need enough firefighters to protect the public and each other. That would be a priority of my administration.