IAFF Local 2130 - St. Albert Firefighters

Jun 23, 2023

https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/council-reverses-decision-to-outsource-fire-dispatch-7171036
City council has reversed its decision to outsource St. Albert's fire services dispatch system after a new report predicted outsourcing would save significantly less money than previously thought.

Last summer, council voted to outsource the dispatch system after an accounting firm hired by the city estimated the switch could save about $340,000 annually. However, the new report shows just $20,000 in savings per year.

At the time of the original vote, those on council who supported outsourcing — Mayor Cathy Heron, Coun. Wes Brodhead, Coun. Natalie Joly, and Coun. Mike Killick — said they believed there would be little or no change in the quality of service.

Those who were against outsourcing — Coun. Shelley Biermanski, Coun. Sheena Hughes, and Coun. Ken MacKay — argued the potential cost savings weren't enough to risk not having local dispatchers with local knowledge and experience with city landmarks and neighbourhoods. St. Albert firefighter's union president Greg Harvey also spoke against outsourcing the dispatch system last summer.

Currently, when a 911 call is made in St. Albert, it is directed to the city's RCMP detachment, Maloney Place, where calls are answered by local dispatchers. When a call is received, dispatchers either send officers on the call or forward the call to Alberta Health Services for medical calls.

If the call is for fire services, RCMP staff forward the call to the locally operated fire dispatch system.

Council's vote last year, which intended to have the city outsource just the fire dispatch service, led to city administration issuing a request for proposals (RFP) in March for interested parties to submit bids.

A report to council included in the June 20 council meeting agenda, written by three city department directors, revised the expected saving identified by the accounting firm from $340,000 to about $20,000 per year.

A number of councillors who spoke with the Gazette said the city only received one bid for the contract, despite seven organizations and businesses registering themselves as interested on the city's bids and tenders website. Among the seven interested parties were Edmonton Fire Services, the City of Red Deer, Strathcona County, Parkland County's Emergency Communications Centre, and three private companies.

The councillors weren't able to say which of the parties submitted the bid for the contract.

Coun. Sheena Hughes said with just one bid submitted for the contract, she felt the city would be taking a significant risk if it were to follow through on outsourcing, and put forward a motion on June 20 to reverse council's decision last summer.

Hughes' motion passed with Brodhead and Joly opposed.

“The savings are not there to justify changing over service providers,” Hughes said in an interview.

“That actually puts us into a high-risk situation from a financial standpoint as well, because if for any reason we are unsatisfied with the services or the projected costs or the renewal costs at the end of the contract, we have no other options presented to us as to a different outsource that would provide the same level of services.”

Hughes also said she thought the $20,000 in savings might not materialize if a contracted service provider were to charge the city for unexpected capital costs during the course of a contract.

During debate, Joly said she was against the motion because in her experience, the quality of service offered by emergency dispatchers elsewhere in the province is just as good as the service provided in St. Albert, and that the $20,000 in savings, as well as other upcoming capital costs still made outsourcing the service worthwhile.

Likewise, Brodhead said despite the reduced estimated savings to be had by outsourcing the fire dispatch system, he felt moving forward with outsourcing would have allowed the city to avoid upcoming mandatory capital costs and purchasing of equipment related to the nationwide transition to Next Gen 911 (NG911).

“In this particular case, the savings really is around cost avoidance,” Brodhead said. “If you want to keep it in-house, then you have to pay these costs, or you'll find a different way of doing business, and ... (outsourcing was) the recommendation of our consultants (and administration has) an opportunity to save the city money.”

The NG911 system will replace the existing Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) system in 2025 at the direction of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). A major change that will come with switching to the NG911 system will allow people to text 911 during an emergency situation where speaking to an operator isn't safe.

If St. Albert was to move forward with outsourcing the fire dispatch system, the city might have saved almost $1.25 million in capital and operating costs related to procuring and using the new technology, a staff report read. However, council heard on June 20 that the city has already budgeted for obtaining a NG911 system through the repair, maintain, and replacement budget, meaning additional capital spending may not be necessary.

Mayor Heron and Coun. Killick, who were the members of council to change their votes since the initial decision last summer, both said during the June 20 council meeting that they were still glad the city explored the possibility of outsourcing the fire dispatch system as a way to save money, but the cost savings just weren't enough to justify moving forward with it.

“I appreciate that we did the due diligence,” Heron said. “We did the work, (but) it didn't pan out, in my opinion.”

Sep 20, 2022

Link to Application

Cultivate your Career:

With over 100 years of service to its credit, St. Albert Fire Services plays an integral role in shaping and serving our community. We are excited to be recruiting several new members to join our department in 2023.

The Opportunity:

A career with a fully integrated fire and emergency medical service is exciting, fulfilling, diverse and challenging. Soon to be operating from four stations, St. Albert Fire Services members are ready to respond to any emergency 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The department's dedicated team of professionals saves lives and protects properties by responding quickly and effectively to suppress fires and provide medical and rescue attention in disaster and other emergency situations. We provide our members with ongoing professional development in firefighting, fire prevention, medical response, and search and rescue techniques. If you thrive on teamwork, want to help those in need, and have a desire to contribute to your community, consider applying today!

Qualifications:

We seek applicants who have the following minimum qualifications, as of the date you submit your application:
• Currently registered with the Alberta College of Paramedics as an Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) or currently enrolled as a 2nd-year Advanced Care Paramedic student.
Preference may be given to those eligible to write the Advanced Care Paramedic Provincial Registration Examination in 2022.
• Hold a valid Alberta Class 4 driver’s licence and can provide a driver’s abstract demonstrating safe driving behaviour [six demerits or fewer].
• Have the ability to successfully obtain, and maintain, a vulnerable sector police information check.
• Able to pass medical standards, including eyesight and audible, as outlined in the NFPA standard.

Please note:
• A valid Alberta Class 3 driver’s licence and Air Brake (Q) endorsement are conditions of employment that must be obtained within the probationary period.

PROCESS
Short-listed candidates will be invited to participate in our 2022/2023 recruitment procvess which includes::

Phase 1: Application (September 14 - October 11, 2022)
Phase 2: Firefighter Aptitude, Medical Knowledge/OSCE and Job Skills Assessments (Held in St. Albert on October 25 & October 27 2022 - candidates will attend one session)
Phase 3: Firefighter Physical Fitness Assessment conducted by the University of Alberta (Mid to late November 2022)
Phase 4: Panel Interviews and Employment References (December 2022)
Phase 5: Pre-employment Medical Assessment (January 2023)
Phase 6: Offers of employment (January/February 2023)

Please visit the Firefighter/Medic Recruitment page of the City of St. Albert Careers website for up-to-date information about the process and timeline: www.stalbert.ca/fire-careers

Information Sessions
Please join St. Albert Fire Services at one of our upcoming in-person information sessions.

Dates: Tuesday, September 27 or Thursday, September 29
Time: Presentations on both evenings begin at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Fire Station 3, 100 Giroux Road, St. Albert

Attendees will have the opportunity to:
• learn about the department
• gain an understanding of the recruitment and selection processes
• connect directly with and ask questions of members of the recruitment team and current Firefighter/Medics

Even if you’re not ready to apply this year, this is a great chance to gain some insight into a career with a fully integrated fire and emergency medical service.

Mar 02, 2022

Click here to access the City of St Albert Application page

The Opportunity:

Fire and Emergency Services from the City of St. Albert, Strathcona County and the City of Spruce Grove have joined efforts to conduct a regional recruitment campaign. We are accepting applications from March 1 to March 31, 2022.

A career with a fully integrated fire and emergency medical service (EMS) is exciting, fulfilling, diverse and challenging. We are ready to respond to any emergency 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Dedicated teams of emergency services professionals in the City of St. Albert, Strathcona County, and the City of Spruce Grove save lives and protect property by responding quickly and effectively. If you thrive on teamwork, want to help those in need, and have a desire to contribute to your community, consider applying today!

Prior to submitting your application, we encourage you to review the information available on each of the municipality's websites:

St. Albert: https://stalbert.ca/cosa/careers/emergency-services

Strathcona County: https://www.strathcona.ca/council-county/careers/emergency-services-recruitment-information/regional-full-time-firefighter-recruit/

Spruce Grove: https://www.sprucegrove.org/careers/firefighter-recruitment/

Recruitment Process / Timelines:
This process usually takes six months to complete and includes the following steps:

Competition Application Period Begins - March 1, 2022
Virtual Information Session - March 17, 2022
Competition Closing Date – March 31, 2022
Firefighter Aptitude Test – Mid April 2022
This is a two-hour test that measures candidates’ understanding of oral, reading and written information, numerical skills, maps, diagrams, mechanical reasoning and teamwork/public relations. Candidates are assigned a time slot on one of the testing days.
University of Albert Firefighter Fitness Test – May 2022
The candidate is responsible for paying for the cost of this test. For details, please visit the University of Alberta Firefighter Fitness Testing webpage.
Medical Knowledge Test - June 2022
Candidates attend a half-day test which includes an in-depth written exam coupled with a circuit of short (the usual is five to 10 minutes) stations, in which each candidate is examined at a one-on-one basis.
Each station has a different examiner and candidates rotate through the stations, completing all the stations on their circuit. During each station, candidates will be requested to provide clinical assessments and review the potential differential diagnosis and possible treatments.
Panel Interview – Mid/End June 2022
Behavioural-based interviews. Interviewees should be prepared to answer questions the following way - Situation/Task (what was the circumstance or what needed to be done); Action (what did you do?); Result (what happened or what feedback did you receive?).
Conditional Offers of Employment – July 2022
Pre-employment Medical Assessment and Drug Screening – July/August 2022
The medical assessment is a condition of employment and is a general physical, ensuring candidates meet the requirements and physical demands of firefighting.
Anticipated Start Date – August 29, 2022

NOTE: All dates above are subject to change. As specific dates are confirmed, they will be updated on each municipality's Regional Recruitment webpage.

Qualifications:

You must meet the following minimum qualifications on the date you submit your application.

• Currently registered with the Alberta College of Paramedics as a Registered Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) or Registered Primary Care Paramedic (PCP). Proof of registration must be uploaded at the time of application.*
• Hold a valid Class 4 drivers licence. A valid Class 3 drivers licence and Air Brake (Q) endorsement must be completed by the start date and is a condition of employment. This will be provided in the form of a driver's abstract demonstrating a satisfactory driving record with six demerits or fewer.
• Have the ability to successfully obtain, and maintain, a vulnerable sector police information check (required upon offer and is a condition of employment).
• Have the ability to pass physical and medical standards, including eyesight and audible, as outlined in the NFPA standard.

*NOTE: Out of province applicants with provisional registration with Alberta College of Paramedics (pursuing a Labour Mobility application) may be considered; full registration is required by the date of interview.

The following qualifications are preferred, but not mandatory:

• NFPA 1001 – Level I & II certification
• Emergency medical/fire response work experience
• Current ITLS certification
• Current PALS certification
• Current ACLS certification

Note:
The City of Spruce Grove, City of St. Albert and Strathcona County are collaborating in a joint recruitment for Firefighter/Medic positions in order to increase efficiencies in terms of reducing recruitment costs and saving time for both the applicant and the municipalities. Information collected through this Regional Recruitment will be shared between selection committee members from the City of St. Albert, Strathcona County and the City of Spruce Grove.
All information collected will be retained by the City of St. Albert and in accordance with their Retention and Disposition Bylaw 2/2006. Records relating to the recruitment and selection of successful applicants will be transferred to the respective municipality and managed in accordance with their Records Management Bylaw.

Nov 19, 2021

https://www.stalberttoday.ca/local-news/death-of-st-albert-firefighter-catalyst-for-change-4760942

St. Albert fire services members are determined to make changes to improve mental-health supports after the loss of one of a member last week.

Greg Harvey, president of St. Albert Fire Services Local 2130 said the loss of member Warren Hillier to mental illness has highlighted the need for change in the department.

“I think this is a catalyst for sure and we are going to work extremely hard to get more mental-health support for our membership, [including having something like] one psychological assessment a year done for everybody,” Harvey said.

Currently at the fire department there is a peer support team, made up of around a dozen firefighters who are trained to connect with those who are struggling with resources. The department also works with a clinician who is aware of the unique challenges first responders face.

But Harvey said more supports are needed to help first responders deal with the challenges of the job.

Through the pandemic, calls for service of emergency responders has increased, Harvey said, and that work environment is really taking a toll on emergency responders.

“We’re just dealing with the pandemic and the opioid crisis — just a shortage of staff everywhere related to it. It's really starting to take a toll on the membership,” Harvey said.

“You see it in the eyes, you can see it in people, how they are portraying themselves. It has just been a really long stretch in emergency services.”

Paramedics are responding to more calls than they ever have before, and doing more cross-city coverage than in the past. Many staff are working past the end of their shifts more than they have before, preventing them from getting home to their families at a reasonable time because they are stuck working overtime.

The City of St. Albert didn't have an expert available for an interview, but city spokesperson Cory Sinclair said in an email the city has had an average of 10 employees out of the 130 fire service members out on occupational and non-occupational long-term absences over the past three years. This is around 7.7 per cent of staff off at any time.

Many of those who are reaching out might not have access to the resources available to help them, Harvey said.

Firefighters often fear going to a psychologist because they don’t want to get a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, as it may have a huge impact on their career. If a first responder is diagnosed with PTSD, they are referred to Workers Compensation Benefits (WCB) and will likely miss work.

For many, the diagnosis will impact their personal life and potential to come back to a job they love.

“People have lives to live, they have finances and bills to pay, and all that sort of thing and it doesn't make it easy to get treatment while still trying to do that,” Harvey said, adding members of the fire services are currently suffering silently, afraid to get the PTSD diagnosis and miss work.

The firefighters who don’t get a PTSD diagnosis and don’t go through WCB only have coverage for three visits to a psychologist annually.

By the time the psychologist can figure out what the problem is, Harvey said, that leaves time for one treatment session and the member is left paying out-of-pocket for help. The union president said in the future they will try to improve their benefits to include more mental-health coverage for workers.

Harvey said fire services should take the same approach with mental-health issues that they take for physical illnesses. They do blood tests and screen for cancer annually, and Harvey wants to see that attitude with mental health, and include annual screening for mental illness.

“There's nothing in place that would say you will get a psychological test to make sure that your head is healthy, which is just as much of a risk in emergency services nowadays,” Harvey said.

Stigma plays a large part in seeking help, too, said Harvey. There is some stigma about going to a psychologist and getting a PTSD diagnosis.

Things have changed in the 17 years he has been a firefighter, Harvey said, and in the past it was considered a weakness to even say a call bothered a first responder.

Now first responders are more open with their struggles. The night of Hillier’s funeral, many emergency responders gathered together to share stories about their bad calls and how they used their support networks for help when they needed it.

Part of what helps first responders open up is the bravery of those who are willing to speak out, like Hillier’s wife Michele, who is open and candid about what happened with her husband and who wants to use the tragedy in her life to help support first responders and families who are struggling.

“Michele is a very, very strong person who is going to make sure that we make sure that this is the catalyst to improve mental-health supports.”

Nov 19, 2021

https://www.stalberttoday.ca/local-news/his-purpose-in-life-was-to-help-4764238

When Michele Mamacos met her late husband Warren Hillier, she immediately knew he was the one.

Hillier had an infectious laugh, was exceptionally kind, and had enough joy to fill an entire room.

Hillier, an 11-year military veteran and a first responder with St. Albert Fire Services for 11 years, would respond to calls and do anything to make his patients smile, like picking up older ladies and giving them a spin, as if they were dancing. Colleagues say Hillier was a natural storyteller, who could keep friends entertained for hours with his tales and was always cracking jokes.

But Hillier got sick, both mentally and physically, and took his own life in early November. He attempted suicide on Nov. 4, one day after Mamacoss' 40th birthday and succumbed to his injuries on Nov. 6.

Mamacos, now left with only memories of her partner of nearly a decade, said he was a born helper.

“His purpose in life was to help. He really wanted to make a difference in the world,” Mamacos said.

The first responder and father of eight-year-old Hudson spent years helping others, but in 2018, Hillier contracted C. diff, also known as Clostridioides, a bacteria that causes severe diarrhea and colitis, during a call to a care home and he never recovered.

The illness ravaged Hillier’s body, causing him to have such severe gastrointestinal symptoms that he couldn’t be far from a bathroom. His stomach was swollen and distended, Mamacos said, and was constantly in pain.

The first responder wasn’t able to return to work after he contracted the bacteria, and Mamacos said he possibly caught it again, or had a second flare-up, and his life was changed forever.

Hillier, who had been outgoing and loved people, suddenly became isolated and bedridden, only leaving for an hour or two a day to eat and use the bathroom. The hands-on father was not even able to drop his son off at school or help out around the house. Many friends and family reached out to him and Mamacos said he had hundreds of unanswered messages on his phone from loved ones who were concerned about him and wanted to help.

As he lay in bed he gained a lot of weight, let his hair grow out, and had a beard on his normally clean-shaven face. When friends came to visit him in the hospital before he passed, Mamcos said he was unrecognizable, and they could only identify him by the tattoos on his arms.

As his body deteriorated, so did his mind.

“He became really angry. He fell into a very dark depression. Then it became a family issue,” Mamacos said.

Mamacos took care of Hillier but as his depression worsened, he became more angry and abusive. The light and joy she had loved in him had disappeared and he became a shell of his former self.

The wife and mother lived in a high-stress environment, losing her ability to remember anything and losing herself to his illness.

“I made a gut-wrenching decision to take Hudson and I out of harm’s way,” Mamacos said. They moved out in the fall of 2020.

“He wasn’t there anymore. That caring, loving, snuggly … person was gone.”

Impact of mental health

While Hillier’s body was ravaged by his physical illness, in letters he left behind he said he was also tormented by his years responding to calls as a first responder and his experiences in the military.

“In one of his letters, I think he said, ‘I couldn’t handle the demons anymore,’” Mamacos said.

As a first responder of a decade, Mamacos estimates he responded to, on average, three calls per shift, which works out to roughly to 570 calls annually. After 10 years Hillier would have attended to around 5,700 incidents.

“So that is 5,700 families that he's interacted with on the possible worst moment of their life,” Mamacos said.

When first responders leave one call, they have to turn around and go to another one with the same high level of intensity, Mamacos said.

“They have to keep going because they also have a duty to do this. And so they are required to compartmentalize while on the job, to be able to keep saving lives and keep doing what they need to do," Mamacos said.

Hillier hadn't been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from a mental-health professional, but Mamacos said he absolutely had it.

"I think everybody in the industry has PTSD. Everyone's just managing it a little bit differently," Mamacos said.

There is still stigma around getting a PTSD diagnosis both within the first responder culture and in society overall and the diagnosis can impact things such as getting mortgage disability insurance, which can have negative consequences in a person's life, Mamacos said.

Paramedics are at a high risk of PTSD, with 22 per cent of them officially diagnosed with it in their lifetime, according to the Canadian Centre for Suicide Prevention. Firefighters have a rate of suicide 30-per-cent higher than that of the general population, according to the Canadian Association of Mental Health.

But the mental-health support offered to these workers is minimal. Mamacos said through their benefits first responders get only three hours of therapy annually with a mental-health specialist to unpack the roughly 570 calls they have attended through the year, which is not nearly enough, the wife said.

If first responders get diagnosed with PTSD, something many want to avoid doing because of the huge impact it may have on their lives, they can go through Workers Compensation Benefits (WCB) and access more help, although many choose to suffer in silence instead.

Mamacos wants to see more mental-health support offered to first responders, but the exact details of that she wants to leave to the experts. Instead, the widow wants her experience to encourage others to talk about mental health and reach out for support when it is needed.

"Default to open" is Mamacos's mantra through the pain. She wants to encourage everyone to be open with what they are struggling with.

"I'm hoping that people can give themselves permission to start talking and to start processing stuff that they're going through.

"Everybody is in pain and it's like a volcano. You can't put a lid on it. It's going to explode at some point. So let's prepare for it. Let's get the tools. Let's figure out how to cause the least amount of destruction when it does explode."