The Charlottetown Fire Department serves the greater Charlottetown area through two fire stations: Station 1 (89 Kent Street) and Station 2 (152 St. Peters Road). Station 1 is a composite station staffed by both career and volunteer personnel, while Station 2 is operated solely by volunteers.
The Charlottetown Fire Department is tasked with protecting approximately 40,000 residents. This number effectively doubles during the workday with the influx of office workers, students, and visitors. During the summer season, tourism further increases the demand on fire services. Despite this, the department maintains dangerously low staffing levels.
Currently, only three career firefighters (sometimes reduced to two, as no minimum staffing levels are enforced) and a platoon chief are assigned to the composite station. The staffed apparatus only responds within its own district and does not provide support to the volunteer district. As a result, residents in the volunteer district often experience significant delays in service—ranging from a four-minute chute time on a good day to more than ten minutes on a bad day—with no guarantee of response depending on volunteer availability.
Staffing and Structure
The department’s staffing model falls far below national standards. The career-staffed engine operates with only three firefighters and has no designated company officer. Charlottetown lacks any career captains or lieutenants, an unacceptable gap in leadership and accountability.
The response model is also fragmented. Volunteers at the dedicated volunteer station respond with a minimum of four firefighters, first reporting to the station before responding to incidents. At the composite station, the career-staffed engine responds with three firefighters, while volunteer drivers may respond separately to bring additional apparatus with as little as a single firefighter aboard. Other volunteers drive their personal vehicles directly to the scene, as their PPE is stored on the apparatus itself. This arrangement both delays response and reduces available space for essential firefighting tools.
Leadership and Management
Unfortunately, management is even more problematic than the staffing model. The current fire chief has never served as a firefighter in a city department and has minimal fireground experience outside of training. This lack of operational knowledge has contributed to opposition against safe staffing levels, citywide coverage by the career-staffed engine, and trianing development opportunities for career members.
The department has only 12 career firefighters, 3 relief firefighters, 3 fire inspectors, and 1 fire prevention officer. By contrast, the chief successfully lobbied for four platoon chiefs (who are not members of the bargaining unit) after being denied additional deputy chiefs. Meanwhile, approximately 100 volunteers are split between the two stations, but their response is unreliable due to personal and professional obligations, often leading to severe delays.
Apparatus and Scheduling
Charlottetown does maintain a modern fleet and replaces aging apparatus regularly. However, many of the vehicles purchased are oversized and poorly suited to the city’s needs. Moreover, without adequate staffing, these apparatus often sit idle, rendering them ineffective.
Scheduling follows a four-platoon system of 24/72 shifts (0800–0800), which was awarded through arbitration. The chief had originally pushed for a less effective 12-hour shift model.
Overall Assessment
The Charlottetown Fire Department is far from being a model combination department for Atlantic Canada. In fact, it has become a source of frustration and ridicule. Management solicits input from the union but consistently disregards it, stifling departmental growth and compromising public safety. Citizens deserve a guaranteed, rapid response regardless of where they live. Volunteers should have clearer pathways to pursue firefighting as a career, yet under current leadership, such opportunities are scarce.
The unfortunate reality is that the department’s leadership is entrenched, power-driven, and ineffective. Until change begins at the top, Charlottetown will continue to suffer from inadequate staffing, poor response models, and management incompetence. The residents of Charlottetown deserve better.
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1 Reviews on “Charlottetown Fire Department”
The Charlottetown Fire Department is tasked with protecting approximately 40,000 residents. This number effectively doubles during the workday with the influx of office workers, students, and visitors. During the summer season, tourism further increases the demand on fire services. Despite this, the department maintains dangerously low staffing levels.
Currently, only three career firefighters (sometimes reduced to two, as no minimum staffing levels are enforced) and a platoon chief are assigned to the composite station. The staffed apparatus only responds within its own district and does not provide support to the volunteer district. As a result, residents in the volunteer district often experience significant delays in service—ranging from a four-minute chute time on a good day to more than ten minutes on a bad day—with no guarantee of response depending on volunteer availability.
Staffing and Structure
The department’s staffing model falls far below national standards. The career-staffed engine operates with only three firefighters and has no designated company officer. Charlottetown lacks any career captains or lieutenants, an unacceptable gap in leadership and accountability.
The response model is also fragmented. Volunteers at the dedicated volunteer station respond with a minimum of four firefighters, first reporting to the station before responding to incidents. At the composite station, the career-staffed engine responds with three firefighters, while volunteer drivers may respond separately to bring additional apparatus with as little as a single firefighter aboard. Other volunteers drive their personal vehicles directly to the scene, as their PPE is stored on the apparatus itself. This arrangement both delays response and reduces available space for essential firefighting tools.
Leadership and Management
Unfortunately, management is even more problematic than the staffing model. The current fire chief has never served as a firefighter in a city department and has minimal fireground experience outside of training. This lack of operational knowledge has contributed to opposition against safe staffing levels, citywide coverage by the career-staffed engine, and trianing development opportunities for career members.
The department has only 12 career firefighters, 3 relief firefighters, 3 fire inspectors, and 1 fire prevention officer. By contrast, the chief successfully lobbied for four platoon chiefs (who are not members of the bargaining unit) after being denied additional deputy chiefs. Meanwhile, approximately 100 volunteers are split between the two stations, but their response is unreliable due to personal and professional obligations, often leading to severe delays.
Apparatus and Scheduling
Charlottetown does maintain a modern fleet and replaces aging apparatus regularly. However, many of the vehicles purchased are oversized and poorly suited to the city’s needs. Moreover, without adequate staffing, these apparatus often sit idle, rendering them ineffective.
Scheduling follows a four-platoon system of 24/72 shifts (0800–0800), which was awarded through arbitration. The chief had originally pushed for a less effective 12-hour shift model.
Overall Assessment
The Charlottetown Fire Department is far from being a model combination department for Atlantic Canada. In fact, it has become a source of frustration and ridicule. Management solicits input from the union but consistently disregards it, stifling departmental growth and compromising public safety. Citizens deserve a guaranteed, rapid response regardless of where they live. Volunteers should have clearer pathways to pursue firefighting as a career, yet under current leadership, such opportunities are scarce.
The unfortunate reality is that the department’s leadership is entrenched, power-driven, and ineffective. Until change begins at the top, Charlottetown will continue to suffer from inadequate staffing, poor response models, and management incompetence. The residents of Charlottetown deserve better.