The Dieppe Fire Chief says they’re currently seeing their typical annual average for the number of calls, but he expects those will increase due to a growing population and other social issues.
“We’re expecting a number of calls between now and the end of the year. We’ll see close to 400 additional calls this year,” Chief Marc Cormier says.
Despite the increase, he says staffing levels are currently adequate.
“Currently we have a good staffing level. We have a system in place to recall personnel when we need to. We also have mutual aid agreements with our neighbouring partners, so there’s no staffing issues.”
He adds that they are having discussions with the City of Dieppe and union representatives to discuss immediate and long-term objectives for the fire department.
The Department has 42 career firefighters, both full-time and casual positions.
“All the permanent positions are full. We currently have some vacant positions in the casual force. We just finished hiring three new casual firefighters who are starting their training on Monday,” Cormier says.
