Photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters

By Liam Verster

Fire-Rescue

Vernon to hire more firefighters

Mar 28, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Vernon Fire Rescue Services will be bolstering its ranks.

At the Committee of the Whole meeting Monday, March 27, city council approved the hiring of four new firefighters.

The matter, brought forward to the regular meeting later that day, authorized spending up to $460,000 to fund the positions between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. It also committed to supporting the new positions in the 2024 budget with full funding of approximately $240,000, and another $260,000 in the 2025 budget.

The first year would be covered through the 2022 Unexpended Uncommitted Reserve, and the positions would then be covered through taxation.

Speaking with Vernon Matters following the meeting Monday, Mayor Victor Cumming said the new members will bolster current operations.

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“We did an earlier [Vernon Fire Rescue Services Eight Year Strategic Plan] and adopted it and said we were going to roll out this increase in funding for equipment and adding [members],” Cumming stated.

“This is all just part of our strategic plan and this was just confirming that we’re actually going to go ahead with that, and that means the addition of four new firefighters to be hired hopefully by the end of June this year.”

The firefighters will be added to the ranks and assist current Vernon Fire Rescue crews with regular operations.

“It provides basically another person on every shift and enables us to go from our current compliment of five to a compliment of six on every shift, 24/7, 365,” Cumming explained.

“This was an ongoing need: Vernon is growing and we’ve done a great job operating both Firehall 1 [downtown] and Firehall 2 in [Okanagan] Landing and what this does is just adds to our staff compliment.”