Fire chief John Fredericks is no longer working for the City of Yellowknife and some firefighters are demanding that the municipality address a burnt-out force.
A person with knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be identified, said firefighters were told that Fredericks was no longer employed by the city as of Oct. 1.
Fredericks has been fire chief since late 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile and media reports from the time.
SA国际影视传媒 sought comment from the mayor and some council members. All who were reached declined comment, stating that the matter is a human resources or personnel matter.
None could say who is running the fire hall.
Efforts to reach Fredericks through his staff directory number were unsuccessful.
According to the source, Fredericks has been away on leave for much of the past year and leadership of the department has fallen to three deputies under Fredericks, which has caused confusion, in-fighting and a lack of support.
In YellowkniferSA国际影视传媒檚 Oct. 6 Fire Prevention Week edition, Paul Grismer is identified as the acting fire chief. The department includes four platoons of eight firefighter/paramedics in addition to an administration position, four chief officers and dispatch.
The citySA国际影视传媒檚 firefighters are represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters and the source said meetings have been held with the citySA国际影视传媒檚 senior management to raise concerns about workplace conditions as recently as Oct. 8.
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One of the departmentSA国际影视传媒檚 main complaints is that the division has endured an extremely busy year with calls for service expected to reach 5,400 by the end of 2021. That figure is believed to be the highest that has been recorded in at least 15 years, as the department usually sees anywhere between 3,200 to 4,500 calls annually.
Part of the reason for the high number of calls is related to Covid-19 as people will call saying that they are experiencing symptoms of the virus.
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The person added that the city has limited hours for the citySA国际影视传媒檚 Street Outreach van pick-up service and that a busy Yellowknife triages its responses and does not prioritize non-emergency calls.
CouncilSA国际影视传媒檚 latest decision not to locate a shelter service at the former Legion points to a lack of direction and has rippling effects with added pressure on the department, according to the source.
SA国际影视传媒淭he city and the (territorial) government donSA国际影视传媒檛 know whoSA国际影视传媒檚 going to open up the next sobering centre or where itSA国际影视传媒檚 going to go and they want people out of the downtown core because itSA国际影视传媒檚 disgusting for the businesses,SA国际影视传媒� the individual said. SA国际影视传媒淪o they want to blanket it and cover it and, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 no actual treatment centre in the North for mental health addiction. These are all compounding issues that are happening.SA国际影视传媒�
The city was provided with a series of questions on Oct. 8 regarding whether the city has a fire chief, who is in charge of the fire hall, what the implications are when a fire chief is not present or is on leave, and how the city would characterize the workplace atmosphere among firefighters.
Municipal communications officer Aim茅e Dentinger provided a statement on Oct. 12 but noted the city will not speak to personnel issues.
SA国际影视传媒淭he dedication and work of our fire division will never go unnoticed, as we rely on them to help keep our residents and community safe,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭hroughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and especially at this time with heightened cases of Covid-19 in our community, the Yellowknife Fire Division has experienced increased call volumes.SA国际影视传媒�
She did not put a figure on the calls for assistance but said the city is trying to raise awareness on its website about what warrants a medical response. A SA国际影视传媒淗elp Our First RespondersSA国际影视传媒� page was posted on the city website on Sept. 24.
SA国际影视传媒淭he health and safety of Yellowknife Fire Division staff is a top priority and support to YKFD staff to enable them to continue their professional, safe and efficient delivery of these key services,SA国际影视传媒� Dentinger said.
