#SHAPE COLLAGE FIRE DEPT PROFESSIONAL#Brendan Meagher, president of the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters Association, said in a phone interview on Monday. It has been one of his biggest concerns, and he was directed by council to address the lack of resources in Sheet Harbour,” Capt. “I know that Sheet Harbour has bothered him since he’s arrived here. Recruitment efforts in the Sheet Harbour area have repeatedly come up short. Volunteers staff the station on nights and weekends, but there are only three of them. Like many other so-called e-platoon stations, Station 28 is only staffed with career firefighters on weekdays from 7:30a.m. It was on the chopping block along with two other stations in 2015, so Blackburn believes this would be a permanent closure.Īlong with the closure and a reduction in overtime, the proposal would also move firefighters from Station 56 in Black Point and either Station 50 in Hammonds Plains or Station 60 in Herring Cove to Station 28 in Sheet Harbour for a savings of $1 million.įire Chief Ken Stuebing told councillors during his budget presentation in February that, “we have a dire situation on the Eastern Shore, one that literally keeps me up at night.” It’s not the first time HRFE has proposed closing Station 11. “I’m going to need an explanation from the chief as to why this extreme measure at this stage of the game.” It’s an area she said is growing, with new apartment buildings and subdivisions under construction, “ as opposed to Sheet Harbour, which is declining in population,” she said. “I don’t think I can support that in any way, shape, or form until other options have been considered and dismissed,” Deputy Mayor Lisa Blackburn said in a phone interview on Monday.īlackburn is the councillor for District 14 - Upper/Middle Sackville. One of the departments seeing cuts to its operating budget is Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, HRFE, which has proposed a cut of 7.2% - down $5.4 million to $69.1 million.Īlong with $2.3 million in cuts from an increased vacancy target and hiring freeze, part of the plan would see Station 11 on Patton Road in Upper Sackville closed and its staff moved to Station 28 in Sheet Harbour. A report to the committee estimates the total lost revenue due to the pandemic to be $85.4 million, and outlines cuts to several departments to find the money. Regional council’s budget committee will start the process of rebuilding a new budget for fiscal 2020-2021 on Tuesday. The union representing Halifax firefighters says it’s frustrated with proposed budget cuts due to COVID-19, and the deputy mayor says she can’t support a key part of the plan - the closure of a fire station in her district. The Halifax Examiner is providing all COVID-19 coverage for free. A 2014 Google Streetview image shows Station 11 on Patton Road in Upper Sackville.
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