SUDBURY -- A motion from Ward 5 Coun. Bob Kirwan is calling on city staff in Greater Sudbury to prepare a report on options for firefighting in Valley East.

Kirwan's motion comes after a provincial arbitrator ruled the city must increase its compliment of full-time firefighters at the station from two to four.

Traditionally, the Valley East station has been staffed by two full-time and several volunteer firefighters. But in August, after a three-year battle, an Ontario Labour Board arbitrator ordered Greater Sudbury to hire two more full-time firefighters to work in the Valley East station, formally known as Station No. 16.

Before that decision, the city operated four full-time stations staffed with four full-time firefighters, 19 volunteer stations backed up by full-time staff, and Val Therese with two full-time, backed up by volunteers and other full-time firefighters from other stations.

Even though arguments that staffing has never caused a safety issue at the Val Therese station were accepted, the arbitrator ruled the broad consensus and other rulings have said four people are required as a standard.

And while an unsafe situation hasn't happened yet, "each of the parties and all of the witnesses accept that a two-firefighter career crew at Val Therese could confront a fire, on the verge of becoming a major fire, tomorrow," the transcript from the decision said.

"That ruling means that city council is going to have to make a decision on the fire protection level which will continue for Valley East," Kirwan said in a news release Monday. "In the meantime, two additional full-time firefighters have been assigned to work at Station No. 16 on an overtime basis in order to comply with the arbitration decision. Today, there are four full-time firefighters on duty at all times at Station No. 16."

Four options

Kirwan said there are basically four options: convert the station to a volunteer station only; staff it with full-time firefighters only; or maintain it as a composite station, with four full-time firefighters backed by volunteers.

"I would like to know the impact of each of those options on other areas of the city with respect to service levels and property tax," Kirwan said. "I think that extensive public input needs to be sought on these options since a decision to retain full-time firefighters in Valley East will trigger an adjustment to the area rating resulting in a three to four per cent property tax increase for property owners in Valley East just to cover the additional costs of hiring 10 more full-time firefighters to comply with the arbitration award."

Despite the fact that would mean an extra $10-$15 a month in property taxes in Valley East, Kirwan said the feedback he's received so far supports maintaining the station with full- and part-time firefighters.

"What I am hearing so far is that most people are willing to pay for this improved level of fire protection," he said. "In fact, a lot of people have told me that they would have been willing to do this a long time ago in order to have the same service level as found in the Sudbury core."

Kirwan's motion goes to city council Nov. 24.