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Fire Fighters Resign After Review

Fire Fighters Resign After Review

Jan 8, 2019 | 12:40 PM

A review into concerns about discontent within the Enderby Fire Department has led to six members of the department resigning.

Mayor Greg McCune says the city hired an independent investigator to look into safety concerns at the department a couple months back, with the recommendations from that now before council, which he can’t comment on, as they are in-camera.

“It has come to our council. We have it in-camera currently, so there is steps we have taken that I unfortunately can’t tell you about until hopefully, maybe after our next meeting (Jan. 21) if some of it comes out of in-camera. Anything that has to do with labour issues, obviously, we can’t comment yet on,” McCune tells Beach Radio News.

Despite the resignations, McCune says there is no reason for citizens to be concerned about safety.

“They had nine recruits I think in the waiting, and five of them were qualified enough to move to the next level, and I hear there is one that has come out of retirement,” says McCune.

Fire Chief Cliff Vetter told The Morning Star, the members that left were creating challenges, and two of them displayed a lack of commitment to building a better department.

McCune confirms councillor Raquel Knust has recused herself from the issue due to a conflict of interest.

“She is married to the old fire chief, so almost anything to do with the fire department, she always steps aside,” says the mayor.