A large majority of Québec fire service (SI) chiefs fear a lack of assistance outside of urban centers and the impact on safety if left unchecked.
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According to a research report released Wednesday by the Association of Fire and Civil Safety Managers of Quebec (AGSICQ), 72% of IS managers in the regions anticipate succession issues that pose risks related to fire safety.
In remote regions, this proportion is 84%.
The study, based on a survey of nearly 400 managers in the province, shows that the smaller the community, the harder it is to attract and retain firefighters.
As many as 75% of parishes with 10,000 residents or fewer have succession plans.
“worrying”
“It’s worrying,” responds Jean Bartolo, Co-President of AGSICQ. If we do nothing, in a few months or a few years we could find ourselves in services that are having increasing difficulty filling volunteer and part-time firefighter positions. »
The latter make up more than 75% of the workforce of 21,000 firefighters spread across Quebec.
“We must act now to avoid a shortage of firefighters,” argues Mr Bartolo, saying he was encouraged by a meeting last week with Public Security Minister François Bonnardel, who said, “Listen ‘ and ‘Wollen’ showed him.
Conversely, the situation is much more stable in metropolitan areas, where most employees work full-time, he emphasizes.
According to the report, the main barriers to recruitment are the difficulties in balancing family life and the main occupation of the volunteer or part-time firefighter, the lack of interest in the job from new generations and the tightness of the labor supply. especially due to the aging of the population.
Several solutions considered
Availability requirements (on-call deployment, regular drills) and training needs also play a large part in many firefighters’ decision to leave the scene.
According to AGSICQ, tax breaks for these workers should be considered, while current tax credits and salaries are not particularly attractive, according to Mr. Bartolo.
The association also proposes the dissemination of a national campaign to promote the profession, encouraging the population to become firefighters, simplifying the training process and implementing incentives to encourage the grouping of services.
An urgent work problem:
65% of municipalities with 50,000 inhabitants or less have succession plans
75% of municipalities with 10,000 inhabitants or less have succession plans
80% of managers believe that hiring will be difficult in the next few years
92% of managers in remote regions believe the issue should be a priority for decision makers outside of major centers
Concerns are greatest in North-du-Québec, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Gaspésie, Côte-Nord and Bas-Saint-Laurent
The number of volunteer and part-time firefighters in Quebec has declined 19% over the past 20 years
Source: Association of Fire and Civil Safety Managers of Quebec (AGSICQ) and research report