Ontario Government to allow firefighters to ‘double hat’

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

Municipalities may soon be able to employ full-time firefighters who work for one department and also volunteer in their communities. It's the practice of ‘double hatting.'

The provincial government said it will propose amendments to the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (Bill 57) in its 2018 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review on Nov. 15.

Sylvia Jones, MPP for Dufferin and Caledon said she has been working on this file for a long time and is thrilled that they are moving forward to protect people who want to volunteer for their local fire department when they are off duty.

“I have served as the MPP for Dufferin and Caledon since 2007 and the very first question I asked in question period was for the government of the day to protect firefighters who choose to volunteer in their home community,” said Jones.

Proposed changes address the availability of firefighters and streamline the arbitration process.

“This is great news for the Caledon Fire Service and for Volunteer Fire Fighters across Ontario” said Mayor Allan Thompson. “I want to thank the Provincial Government for listening and responding to the needs of rural municipalities who rely on volunteers to help keep their communities safe”

Mandy Gould is a Brampton firefighter who lives in Caledon and volunteers in Inglewood on her time off. She has volunteered in Caledon for 14 years. Her father also volunteered in Caledon and served 25 years.

“He dedicated his life to his community, said Gould. I grew up in the fire culture and watched him leave our birthdays, Christmas and family gatherings at the sound of a pager to help a neighbour, friend or complete stranger. This community raised me and I too wanted to give back and do as my father did.”

She has been at the forefront of a battle with five other double-hatters in Caledon found in violation of rules by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 1068 (Brampton), according to Citizen archive articles.

A union tribunal in June found that the seven have been in violation of the union constitution and bylaws by volunteering their firefighting services while being employed full-time with the fire department in Brampton.

Double-hatters lost a ruling that included a $500 monthly fine for six months if they did not forfeit their volunteer positions. It would increase to $2,000 per month if the violation continues after 18 months.

Gould hopes this recent decision is the light the end of the tunnel in the challenge against double hatters.

“At this point we are cautiously optimistic,” said Gould. “It would be great if we could put all the charges, pressures and fines behind us, as this hasn't been easy. I hope this is the end of it but we will keep up the fight if we have to. We are all determined to volunteer in Caledon, and we know the community is behind us. That has made the real difference for us.

Paul Lecompte, president of the Brampton Professional Fire Fighters Association said they are disappointed in the decision. He wished they have an opportunity to explain to the government the impacts of double hatting. The association is part of IAFF Local 1068.

“We're disappointed in the decision, said Lecompte. We understand what the government is doing but we just wished there was more consultation from the government. This is an internal matter based on our union and rules.”

He said the association is going to continue to work with the government, educate them and have an opinion dialogue.

“We have our own members that are full-time firefighters in Brampton and they're volunteering part time in Caledon and the Caledon Local itself is trying to advance it's service.,” said Lecompte. Caledon is big geographically, I understand there's smaller little centres but they're trying to grow the force as they become bigger and having full time members volunteer there impedes that and it's internally why it's a violation of our constitution. We don't want another member that is affecting another full time local which is Caledon.”

The Town has been vocal in their support to double-hatters pledging financial support and lobbying government officials to challenge the issue.

“Protecting our double hatters is just the right thing to do, said Thompson. They should be thanked, not be fined for volunteering in their home communities and the Provincial Government listened and responded by closing the loop in the legislation that allowed them to be penalized”

Jones said she firmly and unequivocally supports volunteer firefighters.

“The fact that some of these individuals were being fined and targeted by their association speaks to why we as a government needed to bring some protection in to make sure that this stopped happening,” said Jones.

Thompson said the issue of double hatters is important to the Town of Caledon as they depend on over 200 volunteer firefighters to provide service to the rural communities.

Jones reiterated his sentiments saying there are many individuals that are willing to serve their local fire halls throughout Caledon. It can also spark careers for young people.

“You can name them all, said Jones. Alton, Mono Mills, Caledon East, Inglewood, Cheltenham, Snelgrove; they are all, staffed by volunteer firefighters. The willingness that those individuals have to continue to protect their friends and neighbours, if there is a fire emergency is laudable and we should not be making their life more challenging.

“On the flip side, young people who seek to start a career in fire protection and fire safety often begin their careers as volunteer firefighters. Allowing them to serve as a volunteer firefighter while they are seeking full time employment, it makes them a more valuable candidate for consideration of a full-time department.”