The Esquimalt Fire Department will be hiring two temporary firefighters for six months to measure the impact on overtime costs and departmental wellness as staffing and cost pressures rise for B.C. fire departments.
As of 2024, the number of calls the department responds too has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with just over 1,000 incidents last year. Currently, the department has 29 suppression firefighters on staff. Over a shift, four firefighters will be posted to a fire engine, while one-to-two are posted to ladder trucks.
According to Fire Chief Matt Furlot, call volumes are projected to increase by 25 per cent by 2029, and 50 per cent by 2034.
With the increase in call volumes, Furlot says, there has been an upward trend of concurrent incidents since 2020 – or incidents where firefighters couldn't respond in a timely manner because they were committed to another call. He says with serious incidents like residential structure fires, all five-to-six firefighters have to respond. That can leave other calls to be left as less of a priority, or other departments are asked to assist.
"The fire service today is faced with more pressure than ever before," Furlot told the Esquimalt council at a meeting on Monday, July 21.
With staffing stretched so thin, the department needs to pay members overtime to meet the standard of six working firefighters at a time, which Furlot says has been overused this past year. He says they are projecting overtime costs are twice what they budgeted for.
"When we consider the changing factors and pressures on the fire department, along with the needs of the community, we need to continue to ensure that we are providing the right size fire department for the township," he told the council.
Furlot asked the council to pass a motion confirming that the targeted minimum level of service for fire suppression is four firefighters on the engine and two on the ladder truck, which passed unanimously.
Additionally, he asked council to consider approving a six-month trial to hire two temporary firefighters in August, with the goal of staffing four people on the ladder truck, which can "help reduce missed concurrent calls and ensure more lifesaving interventions when mutual aid is delayed," while also possibly reducing costs related to overtime and improving morale in the department.
The council unanimously approved the motion to hire the firefighters, who will likely work from August to January.
