Local councils remain divided, as municipalities across the province are being asked to lend their support to the abolition of the “double hatter” legislation for emergency personnel.
“Double hatting” – full-time fire fighters volunteering as fire fighters in another municipal jurisdiction – is currently prohibited by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). Those found to be in violation of the ruling are at risk of losing their job and/or expulsion from the union.
The intent is to keep IAFF members from volunteering where jobs could be filled with full-time staff.
Those challenging the ban argue volunteering their free time in service of their community is a fundamental right in a free, open and democratic society.
Recently, local councils have weighed in on the issue.
Erin
Councillor Deb Callaghan stepped away from the council chamber prior to discussion as her husband is the local fire chief.
Mayor Lou Maieron questioned the phrase “volunteer” as the word suggests no compensation.
Councillor John Brennan said, “I don’t really understand where this is coming from. They are trying to regulate what professional firefighters do in their off hours.”
Brennan said there are no objections if the individuals wish to work in construction, work as roofers or serve as auxiliary police.
“Why should they object if these people in their own time volunteer to help their community from a fire fighting point of view?”
Brennan added that in some areas, the union has actually forced firefighters to quit their volunteer activities.
“For towns like ours this is a very important aspect in the safety of our citizens.” He added “it’s not the employers who are objecting – it’s the union.”
CAO Kathryn Ironmonger said the benefit of having the double hatters in the community is that as professional firefighters, they have additional training that the municipality would likely never be able to offer its volunteers.
“We would never get the quality we have at this point without being able to access them,” said the CAO.
Councillors supported the resolution.
Puslinch
When the issue came before Puslinch council on Oct. 1 councillors took the needs of the municipality’s own firefighters into consideration.
Councillor Wayne Stokley said it seems Ontario and Newfoundland are the only provinces which restrict double hatters.
“This could be a problem for us and other small municipalities which have firefighters working in both capacities.”
While he believed council support would be a good thing, he did not want to cause issues for firefighters currently serving the department.
CAO Karen Landry said she hadn’t talked to the fire chief specifically but would do so before the next meeting.
Councillor Ken Roth added Puslinch has a number of double hatters serving the local fire department and, “We would have a hard time getting on without them.”
Councilor Jerry Schmidt said he favoured the concept of double hatters, but felt the issue was clouded by the fact that local firefighters are called volunteers rather than part-time.
“In my humble opinion, these are really not volunteer positions. These are paid part-time positions,” he said.
At the same time, Schmidt said he was all in favour of utilizing the expertise provided by the double hatters.
“Quite frankly I think we’d be hard pressed to provide a full-time firefighting force.”
Councillor Susan Fielding wanted to see a personal letter sent to Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott, who in the past has supported double hatters.
Mayor Dennis Lever wants to see input from the local department before making a decision, saying, “Some people don’t want to draw a lot of attention to this particular situation.”
The matter is expected to come back at the next council meeting.
Wellington North
Two emergency volunteers in Wellington North have already had to resign due to the legislation.
“This has been an age-old problem,” Fire Chief David Guilbault told council on Sept. 29. “Once you sign on as a career fire fighter you are no longer able to volunteer anywhere else. It borders on harassment and bullying …
“It’s way out dated and it’s a shame this happens. We recruit them, we train them and they want to come back and give back to their community and they’re not allowed to.”
Mayor Ray Tout said the policy is hurting small communities such as Wellington North by taking away valuable staff and training opportunities.
“We need (the firefighters) back in a large way because they’re bringing an extra level of day-to-day training to our guys. And they’re volunteering because they want to, not for the money,” he said.
“We need that expertise and that training to help our guys out when it comes to safety and training. We’d be fools not to support this.”
Councillor Dan Yake wanted to know if change was even possible at this point.
“This has been before the provincial government for some time and they’ve had arguments for and against it. Will they seriously look at this? Is there a chance they will change it?” he asked.
Guilbault said he is hopeful the new Liberal government might give the proposal a fighting chance.
“A few years ago it went to a third and final reading and lost by about eight votes during Ernie Eaves’ government,” he said. “It went very close so we’ll see what happens with the Liberal government.”
By supporting the motion, council requests that the province amend the portion of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act which states salaried fire fighters who also work as volunteer staff at other departments in their communities may be forced to quit one or the other of their positions.
If passed, IAFF would not be able to force an employer to refrain from hiring someone also employed as a volunteer or fire anyone for “double hatting.”
