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Firesound “Burning Love” CD a Smokin’ Success
VOLUME 2
2006 TPFFA
Media Awards
A Salute To Our Retirees
You’ve Earned It, You Deserve It
Privacy Please
Publications Agreement No: 41203011
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FIREHALL SHOWCASE: Station 225 & Museum
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ISSUE 2 | SUMMER 2006
YOU TAKE CARE OF FIRES.
WE TAKE CARE OF FINANCES.
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Just give us a call to set up a convenient time and
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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION
VOLUME 2
|
ISSUE 2
|
SUMMER 2006
IN THIS ISSUE
32
13
5.
President’s Message
9.
Secretary Treasurer’s Message
11. Vice President’s Message
49
54
13. Chaplain’s Corner
14. Letters to the Editor
17. 2006 Media Awards
21. Health & Wellness
23. Communications
51
61
FIRE WATCH (ISSN 1715-5134) is published quarterly by the
TORONTO PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS’ ASSOCIATION
39 Commissioners Street, Toronto, ON Canada M5A 1A6
Tel.: 416.466.1167
www.torontofirefighters.org
E-mail: firewatch@torontofirefighters.org
25. CPAT
29. What’s Privacy Got To Do With It?
32. Firehall Showcase – Station 225 & Museum
35. Fire Fighter Survival and Rescue – Part IV
39. 20th Anniversary of Hazard 1
FIRE WATCH is published quarterly by Xentel DM Incorporated on
behalf of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association
41. Collective Agreement Review – Attaining Seniority
CHIEF EDITOR: Scott Marks
45. 2006 Off-Duty Awards
EDITORS: Frank Ramagnano & James Coones
Tel.: 416.466.1167 Fax: 416.466.6632
E-mail: firewatch@torontofirefighters.org
49. ATM Program – Exemptions
DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION Xentel DM Incorporated
51. Bill 206 – What Now?
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54. Recent Happenings
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Members of the GCIU
Copyright © 2006 Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association
56. A Salute To Our Retirees
ADVERTISING: Nancy Philippou
Tel.: 416.646.3128 Fax: 416.646.3134
Email: nancyp@xentel.com
60. Upcoming Events
Merchant Card Acceptance
59. Firesound CD a Smokin’ Success
61. Toddle for Tots
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statements of fact or opinion made by any contributor. Comments made by individuals may not
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products and services does not indicate endorsement of same by the TPFFA, and the TPFFA
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On The Cover
Winning photo in the 2006 TPFFA
Media Awards for “Best photo in print
with a circulation over 100,000
Photo by John Hanley
2006 TPFFA
Media Awards
A Salute To Ou
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r Retirees
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Privacy Pleas
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4
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
I
n a recent poll conducted across Canada by Leger Marketing,
fire fighters once again topped the polls as the most admired and
trusted profession.
Scott Marks
The approval rating of 97% is in no
Recently we have been the subject
small part due to the work we do day
of negative comments in the media
in and day out. Typically we are called
and public forums. Certain unfortunate
out when there is an emergency situaevents have put some things forward in
tion that needs rapid intervention. We
a negative manner that do not reflect
respond to people in need. By extenthe day to day work we do. It is difficult
sion it is only natural that people view
to gauge the effect of these things. In a
us in the manner they do; but a 97%
community as large as Toronto it is easy
approval rating is a reflection on, more
to find people to phone a talk radio
then a reaction to, the job we do. It
show to voice negative comments.
speaks volumes about professionalism
Other professions are no doubt envious
and dedication to the public.
of our public support and want to see
Fire fighters have enjoyed this level
us knocked down a few pegs. All these
of public respect and trust for many
things have put us under a public
years and it relates directly to the
scrutiny level we have not previously
manner and professionalism we display
known.
both on and off the job. Our recent
For the most part these recent events
off-duty awards (as part of our Fire
have run their course and the people
Fighter Ball Luncheon) highlights acthat want to take shots have done so.
tivities of our members performing resEntering into a public scrum with some
cues, community service and
other acts while off duty.
THERE IS A RULE OF THUMB WHICH DICTATES THAT
Many of our members are
WHEN YOU ARE RUDE AND NEGATIVE TO SOMEONE
hockey, soccer and baseball
THEY WILL TELL TWENTY PEOPLE. WHEN YOU ARE
coaches or the school helpers
POLITE AND HELPFUL THEY WILL TELL FOUR PEOPLE.
during a student field trip.
People are attracted to our
profession because they want to be a
of the media on these issues would only
part of making the community a safer
have extended the life of these events
and healthier place to live. It is natural
in the public forum. Our goal has been
that this same dedication is reflected in
to move the focus to the positive public
the way they live their lives. This has
work we do, ensuring it continues to
not gone unnoticed by the public.
get coverage and let the other things
With any occupation it is important
run their course.
to remember that this type of approval
While it is still a minority that want
and trust is not unconditional. It is a
to criticize fire fighters, it is time for
bond that has been built by fire fighters
all of us to work at overcoming the
over the years based on the way
recent negative events. The best way
they selflessly give of themselves to
to do this is with a strong showing of
their communities, both on and off the
the positive work we do, and with
job. As such, it is a bond that can be
showing respect to the public and
weakened or broken.
citizens we serve. There is a rule of
[
thumb which dictates that when you
are rude and negative to someone they
will tell twenty people. When you are
polite and helpful they will tell four
people. The fact that we have such a
positive public profile shows which side
of the line we fall on the majority of the
time. But I would challenge everyone to
step it up a notch. In any situation you
are in, whether emergency or nonemergency, engage the public and offer
any assistance you can.
There are still calls coming into the
fire chief on a daily basis concerning
trucks parked at grocery stores etc.
These are not an issue. But a significant
number of these still speak of trucks
blocking laneways or stopping in
traffic to pick up coffee; completely
avoidable situations that negatively
affect members of the public.
Common sense should prevail and
I would ask you all to keep these
things in mind when you do need
to stop for meals or groceries. Inconveniencing the public does not create
friendships.
Public opinion and sentiment have
a direct impact on our relationship
with our employer. When members of
council know that the public supports
our work and they see us as admired
and trusted public employees it is difficult for them to raise objections to fair
and reasonable contract negotiations.
In this sense every member plays a role
in our bargaining objectives. Treating
the public with respect and going the
extra mile is not only the best way to do
your job, it will pay off for all of us
]
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH
5
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6
President’s Message ... Continued from page 5
to do your job, it will pay off for all of
us in the long run.
On a sadder note we have lost two
active members and a member of the
OPFFA Executive Board recently. I
know I speak for all, when I offer condolences to the family and friends of
Jeff Laishes and Fred Bartley. The executive board has recently returned
from Thunder Bay where we honoured
the passing of OPFFA Vice President,
7th District, Joe Adamkowski. I realize
most of you don’t know Joe, but rarely
does one meet an individual that has
the qualities Joe teemed with. Joe was
incredibly bright, funny, articulate with
a voice that could be heard for miles.
Four years ago he was diagnosed with
colon cancer and within days of his
death WSIB recognized his death as an
occupational disease. Our own Paul Atkinson and Hamilton Fire Fighter Colin
Grieve were instrumental is getting
Joe’s claim recognized in the appeal
process. Joe was a fighter and crusader
to the end and epitomized the best
qualities of a fire fighter and union
leader. He will be sadly missed.
Equally important, there has been
significant movement at the provincial
level of government to move forward
with some significant improvements in
presumptive legislation for fire fighters
in Ontario. The NDP have tabled a
private member’s bill with improvements and this sparked the ruling
liberals to begin work on a bill to
improve our presumptive coverage.
Good news indeed.
Scott Marks
President,
Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association
I.A.F.F. Local 3888
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8
SECRETARY TREASURER’S MESSAGE
I
recently attended the OMERS Board and senior management
annual stake holders meeting in Toronto.
Its purpose was to communicate the
2005 Plans performance to OMERS
stake holders, employers, members and
retirees, and to outline future priorities
and provide attendees with a chance to
ask questions and provide input.
Despite the strong returns, the deficit increased. This is due to assets still
recognizing losses from 2001 and 2002
due to the actuarial smoothing process
that smoothes market fluctuations over
five years, and the gains from strong
returns of the past three years were
also deferred due to smoothing. The
liabilities have also increased due to
member salary increases, inflation
increases for pensioners that were
higher than anticipated, and changing
demographic factors.
It is for these reasons that the OMERS
board has decided not to file the actuarial valuation with the government.
The actuarial valuation is an actuarial
study and valuation of the assets and
liabilities of the fund and it must be
filed no less frequently than at three
year intervals. If it were to be filed,
we would be looking at an OMERS
2005 Performance highlights
• OMERS posted a 16.0% total fund
return in 2005, exceeding the benchmark
return of 13.2%;
• Fair market value of net assets
increased by 15.2% to total $41.1 billion;
• OMERS had a net investment income
of $5.5 billion;
• The Pension Division met or exceeded
all service standards including: initial
claims were processed in less than two
business days, exceeding the target of
three days; more than 90% of inquiries
were resolved during a first phone call.
Frank Ramagnano
contribution increase. If it were filed
next year, the earliest we could see
an OMERS contribution increase is
January 1, 2008. It was decided to wait
a year to file as the smoothing of the
losses will be less, and the smoothing
of the gains will increase. Also if the
plan matches its performance of the
past couple of years then the contribution increase to combat the actuarial
deficit would be less. The risk to this
strategy is not meeting bench mark returns on assets and thus increas-
Toronto Professional Fire Fighters' Association
Income Tax Summary - (Cost of Retirement) ESTIMATE
Assumption Date December 31, 2006
(Assumption: Single - TD1 Code 1)
30 years service Fire 35 years service Fire
Fighter
Fighter
Income: Salary or Pension (1)
Active
77,945
Retired
41,964
Active
77,945
Retired
48,958
30 years service
Captain
35 years service
Captain
30 years service
District Chief
35 years service
District Chief
Active
88,671
Active
88,671
Active
99,398
Active
99,398
Retired
47,989
Retired
55,987
Retired
54,014
864
864
864
864
864
OMERS Pension Plan
7,161
-
8,304
-
9,459
-
Canada Pension Plan
1,911
1,911
1,911
1,911
1,911
1,911
Association Dues
Employment Insurance
729
729
729
729
Retired
63,016
864
729
729
Federal Tax
11,176
5,124
12,925
6,662
13,554
6,449
15,714
8,209
16,043
7,775
18,503
Provincial Tax
5,391
16,567
2,645
7,769
6,642
3,435
7,064
3,196
8,510
4,078
8,731
3,897
10,377
4,742
3,504
10,097
11,808
9,645
3,504
12,287
12,963
11,672
3,504
14,497
50,713
34,195
54,874
38,861
56,245
38,344
60,943
43,700
61,661
42,342
67,014
48,519
28.36
19.12
30.69
21.73
31.46
21.45
34.08
24.44
34.49
23.68
37.48
Total Deductions
Net Annual Pay (Take home Pay)
Net HR Rate (2) (Take home Pay)
Cost of Retirement Yearly
Cost/retirement HR Rate (2)
9,755
27.14
16,518
16,013
17,901
17,243
19,319
18,495
9.24
8.96
10.01
9.64
10.80
10.34
NOTES:
(1) Information above based on; 30 or 35 years completed service as of December 31, 2006.
(2) Hourly rates based on 1,788 hours per annum.
This is a rough estimation, all the same factors have been used throughout the chart for comparison purposes. Please consult with
OMERS to get a true reflection of your pension.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH
9
Secretary Treasurer’s Message ... Continued from page 9
the deficit and forcing a larger increase
on contributions. I believe OMERS is
utilizing the right strategy and it is important to note that if smoothing was
taken out of the equation that the
OMERS balance sheet would be balanced today.
We also had some questions answered
that we had asked of OMERS some time
ago. The questions we asked were;
“What was the average age at retirement for fire fighters?”, “What was the
average age at date of death?”, and
“What was the average age as of March
30, 2006 of a Fire Fighter on an OMERS
pension?” They sent us this information
in the form of a chart. They also sent us
for comparison purposes, the statistics
for the NRA 65 “non-fire and non-police” members. I think it will answer
many questions that I commonly hear.
I have also developed a chart that
compares members who retire to members who work. The chart lists the differences for a 30 year member and a 35
year member. It was completed for
the following positions; 1st class Fire
Fighter, Captain, and District Chief. It
is a rough estimation as I am not an
accountant, but I did my best to try and
make it as accurate as possible. I used
the actual salaries paid and placed them
in the OMERS formula to figure out the
pension. I hope to provide this yearly
and bring in experts if need be.
On a personal note, we recently had
some notable changes at the Ontario
Professional Fire Fighters Association. I
would like to congratulate Brother
Wayne De Mille and Brother Patrick J.
De Fazio on their retirements. They
will be sorely missed and we all owe
them a huge amount of gratitude for
the tremendous amount of work they
have done for fire fighters across Ontario. I would also like to thank our
OPFFA District #1 Vice President, Greg
Colton, for his leadership these past
few years. Greg has decided not to seek
re-election and I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that the good wishes
of this membership are with him.
Our local was successful in placing
some key members on the OPFFA Team.
10
FIRE FIGHTER
STATISTICS
Average Age at
Retirement Date
Average Age at
Date of Death
Average Age at
March 30, 2006
60.517
1,196 pensioners
76.166
358 pensioners
73.032
838 pensioners
51.583
93 pensioners
68.217
29 pensioners
65.242
64 pensioners
NRA 60 – Early
55.479
2,881 pensioners
66.547
270 pensioners
63.459
2,611 pensioners
NRA 60 Fire – Total
56.837
4,170 pensioners
71.862
657 pensioners
65.775
3,513 pensioners
65.408
28 pensioners
79.593
9 pensioners
76.064
19 pensioners
N/A
N/A
N/A
NRA 65 – Early
58.252
59 pensioners
72.797
7 pensioners
66.085
52 pensioners
NRA 65 Fire – Total
60.555
87 pensioners
76.620
16 pensioners
68.755
71 pensioners
Average Age at
Retirement Date
Average Age at
Date of Death
Average Age at
March 30, 2006
NRA 60 – Normal
NRA 60 – Disability
NRA 65 – Normal
NRA 65 – Disability
NRA 65 STATS FOR
NON-FIRE FIGHTERS
AND NON POLICE
NRA 65 – Normal
62.232
31,874 pensioners
80.127
76.896
10,436 pensioners 21,436 pensioners
NRA 65 – Disability
56.398
3,677 pensioners
72.240
1,237 pensioners
69.352
2,434 pensioners
NRA 65 – Early
58.738
53,840 pensioners
72.252
5,764 pensioners
67.116
48,063 pensioners
60.957
89,391 pensioners
76.964
70.098
17,437 pensioners 71,933 pensioners
NRA 65 Total
(Non-Fire/Police)
First, congratulations to Mark McKinnon who will be the first elected Secretary-Treasurer of the OPFFA since its
re-amalgamation. Also congratulations
to Ernie Thorne who will return as
District #1 VP. Last but not least to my
friend James Coones. He was chosen as
the new editor of the OPFFA Intrepid
magazine. I do not believe that there
was anyone better that the OPFFA
could have hired for this position. To be
chosen to replace an editor such as Pat
De Fazio speaks volumes of the amount
James has been able to accomplish, and
to the quality of his work. We should be
very proud that members outside of
Toronto recognize the expertise and
skill that we have developed within our
local. I know that on behalf of this
membership that we wish them all the
best and will offer any help they may
require in their new positions.
Frank Ramagnano
Secretary - Treasurer,
Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association
I.A.F.F. Local 3888
VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
THE VALUE OF LABOUR EDUCATION TO THE
LOCAL 3888 EXECUTIVE
S
omeone once said that knowledge is power, and Local 3888
Executive Officers, as well as Fire Fighters from across the Province
of Ontario and beyond, receive much of their knowledge from
the Education Seminars sponsored by the Ontario Professional
Fire Fighters Association (OPFFA).
The OPFFA education seminar is also
attended by Fire Fighter union leaders
from the Provinces of Manitoba and
Newfoundland. These learning forums
take place twice per year, each spring
and fall, in the City of Niagara Falls and
have been going on for many decades.
The OPFFA has moved to three different locations since the inception of the
education seminars as a result of
outgrowing each location while attendance progressively increased. We are
now closing in on two hundred students at each seminar and presently
conduct these seminars at the Renaissance Fallsview Hotel. As Chairman of
the OPFFA’s Education Committee I get
to see first hand the value of these
semi-annual seminars.
Local 3888 Executive Officers believe, as do I, that it is critical for
anyone representing our union to
attend and learn from the education
provided by the Ontario Professional
Fire Fighters Association and the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Local 3888 has encouraged and sponsored many of our union Stewards to
attend the education seminars provided
by the above two organizations. Each
seminar offers a variety of topics
ranging from bargaining and grievance
courses to basic stewardship. Much
effort goes into making the seminars
relevant, informative and enjoyable. I
would encourage every member to
talk to a Steward or an Executive Officer who has attended an educational
seminar and ask them their opinion on
whether it was worth while and
beneficial to their position within
this Local.
It is my firm belief that one of the
major reasons Fire Fighters have significant success when dealing with our
employers is due to the fact that we are
prepared with accurate information
and are knowledgeable about the issues. This allows us to act on your behalf with dignity and assurance. The
Fire Prevention and Protection Act
(Bill 84) and the laws of the land give
us the legal right to represent our members, and the educational training
gained at these seminars gives us the
tools and various skills to do a very
competent job.
Representatives from the Toronto
Professional Fire Fighters’ Association
loom large at educational seminars
as advocates for our own members,
and also as instructors. Some of the
Local 3888 Executive Officers regularly
instruct such topics as: grievance
arbitration, union stewardship, political action and public relations, to
mention only a few. Perhaps the
most significant example is our WSIB
representative, Paul Atkinson, who has
become one of the most knowledgeable
and sought after advocates on behalf
of Fire Fighters in the Province. Paul
has regularly attended the IAFF
sponsored Redmond Symposium on
Health and Hazards in the Fire
Service and is passing on what he has
learned by being a frequent lecturer at
OPFFA seminars.
Ed Kennedy
As you can see, I am a great believer
in the significance of ongoing and continual education of Local 3888 representatives. It represents resources well
allocated and continues to benefit our
entire membership. There are many
opportunities for union Fire Fighters to
take part in educational experiences.
I have focused on the Provincial seminars because, as noted earlier, I chair
that Committee. Other opportunities
include the IAFF Leadership Training
course and their Political Training
Academy. Both the OPFFA and the IAFF
sponsor Health & Safety seminars as
well as Legislative seminars where Fire
Fighters visit their provincial and
federal members of parliament to lobby
for issues important to us. It was this
ongoing lobby effort that had a significant impact on the passing of Bill 206
which allows for OMERS autonomy
and, I predict, better pension benefits
in the future. To conclude, I would
suggest that we must give labour education a very high priority and I would
encourage the membership to continue
giving it your support.
Ed Kennedy
Vice-President,
Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association
I.A.F.F. Local 3888
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 11
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12
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHAPLAIN DR. BARRY PARKER
I
am blessed to be a busy man. I do not have a part time job or
a personal business. I do not have hobbies like most folks. My
children have grown up and left home. So what is it that I do?
Currently I am the Rector (Senior Pastor) of St. Paul’s Bloor Street, a large
Anglican Church 2 blocks west of Station 313. I am married with three adult
sons. The question remains—what is it
that I do?
The stereotype is that as a Minister I
work one hour a week on Sunday talking to a guy you cannot see – God – and
not doing much of anything “real”.
Then I hide the rest of the time. This is
sort of like the stereotype that Firefighters either rescue cats out of trees
or sleep the quiet times away. Neither
stereotype is accurate, nor helpful. Let
me explain by way of my background.
I was a Firefighter/Paramedic in the
1970’s when Alberta was experimenting with integrating both EMS & Fire/
Rescue Services. I served full-time on
the Ft. McMurray Fire Department
and we in turn served the City and all
of northeastern Alberta. I trained in
Calgary. Those were heady days when
money flowed so we tried all sorts of
things that had not been attempted in
Canada up to that time. Many innovations never worked out. Other things
worked out well. We put in place a
number of contributions that highlighted the necessity of well-trained,
well-equipped, competent, and committed emergency services.
I left the Fire Service to go back to
University as I had been encouraged to
enter Medicine. I ended up in the Ministry as an Anglican Pastor – a long
story. In the intervening years I have
always kept my interest in the Fire Service and those who work in emergency
services of any kind. There is a unique
thread in all who do this kind of work
– an idealism of service and the hope
Dr. Barry Parker
to make a difference in the lives of
people and the community. There is a
common spiritual thread.
The question has always intrigued
me, how do we support emergency
personnel? How do we care for the
care givers? No one is immune from
relational stress, work demands and
life pressures. It is even more pronounced for those who lead a stressful
and potentially high risk life and death
profession. We usually see the fallout
in two primary areas – chemical
dependency (name your poison) and
relational fragmentation.
I have been impressed that both the
TFS and the TPFFA seek to serve their
members well. Perhaps you do not
think so or have a different experience.
However, having been around institutions a long time, I see that there
appears to be a genuine concern for
care in the Toronto Fire Services for
the needs of the members.
The area where I can be value added
is in the ‘glue’ or spiritual area. The
glue for all of humanity is the spiritual
core of life. Every person, regardless of
religious beliefs (or lack of) is spiritual
by nature. The human spirit is where
the hopes, dreams, purpose of life – all
those ‘big picture’ issues – live.
I believe that there are two possible
reasons why Firefighters run into
buildings while everyone else runs
out. At its worst it is a self-destructive
messiah thing. At its best – and I think
for the overwhelming majority of Firefighters it is – the driving core of the
human spirit that seeks to serve the
community, regardless of cost.
However, when that drive becomes
all-consuming, life starts to fragment
SOUTH COMMAND
Dr. Barry Parker
227 Bloor Street East
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1C8
416.961.8116 (church)
bparker@stpaulsbloor.org
due to trauma, stress meltdown and
just tough stuff. It is ultimately the
spirit that takes a beating. My role
is to support and provide care for
the spirit.
I know there are exceptional counselors, therapists and care-givers to
serve the members of the TFS. The
TPFFA has a dedicated ‘in-house’ EAP
team. As a Chaplain, I bring a unique
perspective that sees all persons as
human beings – regardless of how broken and fragmented life is experienced
at any given moment. By connecting
the divine – I call God – with humanity
– God’s creation – we see amazing
‘spiritual glue’ form in the lives of
people. To that end, Chaplains speak
by listening.
So, back to the beginning; why am
I busy? I am in the people business.
Whether people are broken beyond belief or living lives of sainted perfection,
my job is to “afflict the comfortable
and comfort the afflicted.” Serving
the human spirit, in any way, as a
Firefighter in whatever capacity of the
Fire Service, or as a TFS Chaplain
serving others, is a growth industry.
Human need never runs out.
I appreciate the warm welcome to
the TFS. Keep the faith folks.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 13
rs
e
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e
L
T O T HE EDI T OR
RED CROSS FUNDRAISER A SUCCESS
Thank you for your very generous
support of the Toronto Red Cross,
2006 “March is Red Cross Month” kick
off event.
Every March, the Red Cross hosts a
fundraising initiative at Union Station
to raise money in support of our
Disaster Management Program. This
year, with assistance from the Toronto
Professional Firefighter’s Association,
we were able to raise $6,444.80! This is
almost double the previous year’s total!
The 15 fire fighters who volunteered
at the March 1st event were wonderful.
Their
enthusiasm
and
energy
made all the difference to this
fundraiser. The Association’s
commitment to assist Toronto
Red Cross ensures that
our Disaster Management
program will be able to assist
many more families with the
provision of essential services
in the upcoming year.
Through
partnerships
with the Toronto Professional
Firefighter’s Association and
other agencies, Toronto Red
Cross is available to provide
crucial support to families after
a house fire or similar personal
disaster. In these circumstances,
Red Cross volunteers provide
the first 72 hours of assistance
to victims who are unable or
have limited access to provide for
themselves. Twenty-four hours a
day, 365 days a year, volunteers
provide family reunification, food,
14
shelter and new clothing to these
vulnerable households.
Because of the generosity of
Torontonians and the amazing support
of the Toronto Professional Firefighter’s
Association the Red Cross can truly be
there – Anywhere, Anytime. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sarah Legault
Manager, Fund Development
Canadian Red Cross,
Toronto Region
GENEROUS SUPPORT FOR ANNUAL
COMMUNITY EVENT
On behalf of the 41 Division
organizing committee, I would like to
thank your association for the continued
support of our Annual Community
Police Liaison Committee BBQ which
was held on Thursday, May 18, 2006.
I am gratified by the generous support
of your company in donating Bouncy
Castle to this event.
Even though it was raining heavily,
more than five hundred
children and their guardians
showed up that day. It was,
truly, a fantastic event in
which everyone was able
to interact with the police
in a fun and positive
environment.
The contribution of your
association is fundamental
to the continuing success
of this great community
event. Once again, thank
you for your support.
Sincerely,
Superintendent 41
Division
FIRE WATCH accepts Letters to the Editor,
articles, essays, and photographs from
Local 3888 Members, active and retired.
We will also accept fire related submissions
from outside authors or photographers.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
MAY BE FORWARDED TO:
Letter to the Editor
FIRE WATCH
39 Commissioners Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5A 1A6
LETTERS POLICY
You may email your letter to:
firewatch@torontofirefighters.org
FIRE WATCH welcomes letters to the
editor to give you – Local 3888 members
– an opportunity to express your views,
concerns, ideas, or gripes.
We can’t print every letter and in some
instances letters will have to be edited
due to space limitations.
[
We do not accept attachments. Please
paste your letter into the body of your
email and use the subject line “Letter
to the Editor.”
A WELL DESERVED PAT ON THE BACK
On February 26, 2006, firefighters from Toronto Fire Service Pumper 132
attended along with Toronto EMS paramedics to an emergency call. The paramedics
who attended to this incident wanted to thank the firefighters for their assistance
on the call. In an email sent to me by the paramedics, they stated “the TFD
staff who responded with us were extremely helpful and did a marvelous job
working with us at the scene.” The paramedics said that the patient condition did
improve as his blood pressure came up significantly as did the patients level of
consciousness.
The paramedics indicated they did not get a chance to thank the firefighters
themselves. The paramedics in their email went onto say “it is always a good
feeling when a call goes nearly perfect and I think they (the firefighters) deserve
a pat on the back.”
On behalf of Toronto Emergency Medical Services, I would like to congratulate
the firefighters who attended to this location for a job well done!
Sincerely,
Larry E. MacKay
Coordinator Professional Standards
Toronto EMS
]
ARTICLES
Before sending a full article submission,
we suggest that you forward an outline
or suggestion for an article to the Editor.
FIRE WATCH is your magazine, and
as such, we will accept articles on any
subject related to Local 3888 and the fire
community. Subjects could include but
are not limited to: health issues, history,
sporting events, equipment, training issues,
personal essays, etc.
ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS/QUERIES
MAY BE FORWARDED TO:
Articles
FIRE WATCH
39 Commissioners Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5A 1A6
[
]
You may email your submission/query
to firewatch@torontofirefighters.org
We do not accept attachments.
Forward your suggestion in the body
of an email and use the subject line
“Article submission or query”.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Please contact the Editors before
forwarding your photographic work
for consideration.
FIRE WATCH does not offer payment
for submissions.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 15
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481 UNIVERSITY AVENUE, SUITE 510
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TELEPHONE: (416) 410-1811
FACSIMILE: (416) 598-3384
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16
2006
TPFFA MEDIA AWARDS
Written by JAMES COONES – Local 3888 Executive Board Officer
T
here is no denying the power of
the various media outlets when it
comes to delivering a message or
information to the public. This message
can be delivered not only locally, but
also globally through print media, television, radio, and even electronically at
the push of a few buttons.
There are numerous positive instances
that occur each year where we as
Toronto Fire Fighters find ourselves
highlighted in the various forms of media. Whether it be coverage of a particular incident that we have attended, a
charity function that we have organized
or participated in, or political action that
we are involved in for the betterment of
our members or community, it is coverage that places us in the public’s eyes
and minds and ultimately helps benefit
us and the work that we do.
Your Public Relations committee has
worked hard to develop good relationships with the various media outlets
throughout the city and province in
order to ensure that messages about the
many positive actions we take as Toronto
Fire Fighters are consistently brought
forward. One of the many ways this
is accomplished is by recognizing the
efforts of the media and holding an
annual media awards event.
Preparations for this event begin by
the media awards committee, which
this year consisted of Frank Ramagnano,
Ian Hamilton, and James Coones, in
December when the first round of information faxes are sent to a long and
diverse list of media outlets. This list
encompasses the small local papers in
the various communities to the large
print, radio and television media outlets
that most of us are familiar with or have
contact with each and every day in one
form or another. A second round of faxes
and letters are sent out again in late
January or early February to once again
solicit entries in the various categories.
In late March the committee meets with
a panel of experienced
judges who have worked
in the media industry for
many years, in order to
review the entries and
pick winners in each of
the categories. The winners are then informed
and invited to attend
the dinner and awards
presentation, which is
usually held in the month
of May.
Each category winner is
presented with a cheque
for $500.00 and a custom engraved
souvenir fire helmet. Their entry is also
forwarded to the International Association of Fire Fighters media awards
contest where the opportunity exists to
compete on an international level with
other media entries.
It is important to note as well that
two new categories were added to this
year’s awards that any of our members
can be eligible to win. The first is “Best
Unpublished Photo” which allows anyone to enter a photo which has never
been published in any official form,
and of course is relevant to the work
of Toronto Fire Fighters within that
particular calendar year. The second
new category is “Best Toronto Fire Watch
Article”. All local 3888 members are
encouraged to submit articles throughout the year to Toronto Fire Watch for
consideration. If your article is published
in one of our issues it will automatically
be entered into this category.
This year’s contest received many
entries for events which occurred in
2005. The event was held on May 10th,
2006 and was attended by the various
winning media outlets, the mayor and
several city councilors, your TPFFA executive board, the panel of three judges, and members from the city of Toronto protocol department who help us
to organize the dinner event.
The following list details the winners of
the 2006 TPFFA media awards;
BEST STORY OR FEATURE IN PRINT
MEDIA WITH A CIRCULATION OVER
100,000
Writer: Rob Lamberti
Story Name: Tried My Best
Story Date: April 15th, 2005
Media Outlet: The Toronto Sun
Story Description: Rob details the
events that unfolded on the night of April
15, 2005. A neighbour, two Toronto
police officers and Toronto fire fighters
rescued a mother and her one year old son
from a fierce blaze in their Rutherford Avenue apartment.
BEST SERIES IN PRINT MEDIA WITH
A CIRCULATION OVER 100,000
Writer: Jack Boland
Story Name: Toronto Fire Fighters
Aid Fire Fighters In Grenada After
Hurricane Ivan
Story Date: June 2nd, June 4th,
June 12th.
Media Outlet: The Toronto Sun
Story Description: Details the humanitarian efforts of 15 Toronto Fire Fighters
including Fire Chief Bill Stewart, who
flew to the Caribbean island of Grenada
in 2005 to help rebuild the St.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 17
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18
2006 Media Awards ... Continued from page 17
George’s fire station that was destroyed
in September 2004 by hurricane Ivan.
The Toronto Fire Services and several
private companies donated much of the
materials required for the rebuilding, as
well as 20 sets of bunker gear, portable
jaws of life, medical supplies, and toys
for children. Jack accompanied our fire
fighters to Grenada and photographed
them for three days and wrote a 4 page
series which appeared in the Toronto
Sun on 3 separate dates.
BEST NEWS PHOTO IN PRINT WITH
A CIRCULATION OVER 100,000
Photographer: John Hanley
Photo Name: TTC Bus Fire
Photo Date: Saturday, February 5th, 2005
Media Outlet: The Toronto Sun
Photo Description: We respond to many
reported TTC bus fires that usually, and
thankfully, turn out to be nothing more
than smoking brakes. That wasn’t the
case this time on Saturday February 5th
as pumper 111 made the turn from
Bayview Avenue onto Finch Avenue
going west. A few hundred yards ahead
was a fully involved TTC bus. The bus
was carrying only a few passengers at
the time who were all outside waiting
with the driver. As the fire fighters
started pulling hose off of the truck and
preparing to battle the blaze, a small
explosion occurred in the rear engine
compartment, throwing a good size
chunk of metal debris over the fire fighters’ heads and landing about 3 feet away
from the front bumper of pump 111. The
firefighters moved in cautiously and applied foam to the fire and had it quickly
knocked down. There were no injuries.
BEST NEWS PHOTO IN PRINT WITH
A CIRCULATION UNDER 100,000
Photographer: John Hanley
Photo Name: Birchcliffe Garage Fire
Photo Date: Sunday, October 23rd,
2005
Media Outlet: The Scarborough Mirror
Photo Description: This was a detached garage that caught fire around
11:00pm on Sunday October 23rd,
2005. It was held to a single alarm fire
with no injuries. John arrived
on scene very quickly in order
to capture this excellent action
photo.
BEST STORY, SERIES
OR COMMENTARY ON
TELEVISION
Reporter: Francis D’Souza
Photographers: Giancarlo
Desantis, Jamie Tumelty
Editors: Sheldon Bunsee, David Boorne
Story Name: Man Sets Self On Fire
Story Date: March 9, 2005
Media Outlet: CITY-TV News
Story Description: Everyone will certainly remember the events which unfolded at Queen’s Park on March 9th
when a distraught man in a van poured
gasoline on himself and threatened to
set himself on fire. After several minutes
of yelling out of the window and
throwing envelopes and papers to the
ground, the man was surrounded and
boxed in by Toronto Police cruisers. At
this time he did the unthinkable and
ignited himself inside the van. Emergency personnel, including members of
Pumper 314 put their own safety and
lives at risk by immediately coming to
the aid of the man and pulling him from
the van to extinguish the flames which
had engulfed his entire body.
The live coverage of this event and
especially the camerawork was an exceptional piece of journalism which
showed the dangers that all Toronto fire
fighters and emergency personnel face
on a daily basis.
BEST STORY, SERIES OR
COMMENTARY ON RADIO
Reporter: Bob Komsic
Story Name: Mother and Child Rescue
Story Date: April 14th, 2005
Media Outlet: CFRB 1010
Story Description: This was a townhouse fire at 6 Rutherford Road in the
Jane and Weston Road area. A 26 year old
mother was rescued by a police sergeant
from 12 division just prior to fire fighters
arriving on scene. Once on scene the
fire fighters entered the dwelling and
rescued the mother’s one year old infant
from an upstairs bedroom. The infant
suffered 3rd degree burns to 70% of his
body and the mother suffered 3rd degree
burns to 90% of her body. A firefighter
also suffered a broken ankle while working to extinguish the blaze.
BEST UNPUBLISHED PHOTO
Photographer: John Riddell
Photo Name: Mock Gas Leak During
Fire Prevention Week
Photo Date: October 12th, 2005
Photo Description: Toronto fire fighters attack a mock gas leak while
demonstrating their abilities during Fire
Prevention week in October 2005 at the
Toronto Fire Services & EMS Training
Academy on Eastern Avenue.
BEST TORONTO FIRE WATCH
ARTICLE
Author(s): Geoff Boisseau and
John McGill
Article: Fire Fighter Survival & Rescue
Issue Published: Winter 2005
Article Description: This article was
the second installment in what is to be
a four or five part series that deals with
the various aspects of fire fighter
survival and rescue techniques and
training. This installment dealt specifically with SCBA and fire ground
survival skills.
Local 3888 made a record 11 out of a
possible 14 entries into the 2006 IAFF
Media Awards contest. Results should
be known in July and can be seen by
visiting www.iaff.org and clicking on
the “2006 Media Awards” banner.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 19
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Health
Fire Watch News Archivs
B
reakfast at the fire station may
consist of fried eggs, white toast
with lots of butter or margarine,
home fries, and bacon, ham or sausage.
And of course, let’s not forget the coffee
with extra sugar and 10% cream.
Next comes the mid-morning snack.
Perhaps another coffee accompanied by
more white bread with jam, or maybe a
stale doughnut.
Lunch could be a Lick’s hamburger
with fries, or a sausage on a big white
bun filled with extra sauce and hot or
sweet peppers. The veal on a bun deal at
the local bakery could be a favourite. Or,
if none of these meet your taste for the
day then there is always the famous back
up can of soup kept in your locker.
During the afternoon the snacks of
choice are often chocolate bars or chips,
and maybe your fourth cup of coffee because your body is desperately trying to
digest all the food you have consumed.
And don’t forget, now that we’re on
the 24-hour shift we still have dinner to
eat. Ah yes, the famous roast beef with
lots of gravy and overcooked vegetables.
This is supposed to be our last meal of
the day so we tend to overeat and then
for some crazy reason go back for
seconds. Do we have room for desert?
Are you kidding? Of course! Pie and ice
Toronto Fire Fighter ROB LETHBRIDGE
&Wellness
Improving Your Fire Station Diet
cream looks good, and it must be two
scoops of ice cream!
Here are some suggestions for a little
change in your typical fire station diet
that can go a long way to improving your
overall health and wellness.
Breakfast has always been, and still
remains the most important meal of the
day. Let’s start with cutting back on the
refined sugars and the cream in our
coffee, try half & half instead. Multigrain cereal with 1% milk and some fruit
on top like a banana or sliced peaches
is a great breakfast combination. Use
multigrain toast and skip the butter.
Perhaps try a light cream cheese or
peanut butter, and instead use real fruit
jams that are naturally sweetened.
Reduce your intake of coffee and have
a healthy mid-morning snack. Try a large
glass of juice or lemon water with maybe
a yogurt and some nuts like almonds. A
piece of fruit is always a good choice and
usually very convenient and portable.
Multigrain bread, a lean cut of ham or
turkey breast, a slice of cheese, and soup
makes for a great light lunch. Remember
to read the labels on the soup cans and
stay away from hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils and MSG.
Try to have a thirty minute work out
every day by walking, riding on a sta-
tionary bike, or running on a treadmill.
This will help to burn extra calories.
Include a few isometric exercises,
like push ups, sit ups, and chin ups for
muscle strengthening, and always do
some stretching to improve your range
of motion and flexibility.
Let’s get back to the famous fire station dinner shall we? If you are going to
have meat, try to make lean choices like
round steaks or roasts such as round
eye, top round, bottom round, round
tip, top loin, top sirloin, chuck shoulder
and arm roasts. Remember to go easy on
the gravy. Lean pork choices include
pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and
ham. If you decide to have chicken, take
off the skin before cooking. Fish is
also a great choice for dinner. Salmon,
halibut, snapper, swordfish, trout, and
tuna all taste great and are extremely
nutritious and lean.
Of course, I haven’t forgotten about
dessert. If you are eating well throughout the day then don’t feel guilty about
dessert. Try yogurt ice cream with berries or maybe a pie with the crust made
from vegetable oil not lard. I hope these
suggestions give you a few ideas about
the different choices you can make when
it comes to the food you eat.
Stay healthy!
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 21
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22
COMMUNICATIONS
the technology of the transmission of information by print or telecommunication
T
he Communications Division
of the Toronto Fire Services is
unique in that it is a true example of what can be done
when a group of dedicated professionals decide that they are going to make
something work. Not only would the
original bureaus of York, East York,
Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke,
and Toronto start working together –
they would do so at a new facility, with
a new radio system, mapping system,
dispatch system, telephone system,
and for most, a new shift schedule.
For many, a profession that was
second nature became a job where
everything was new and the resulting
transitional period was stressful and
frustrating. Most disconcerting was
the fact that the removal of Communications from the fire hall left those
communicators feeling distanced from
the Operations sector. They had gone
from part of a working family to
having to develop new working relations; from cards and stamp clocks to
3 computer screens, a keyboard and
two mouses; from dispatching one district to dispatching the entire city. It
was a new world, it was a lot bigger,
and not everyone was speaking the
same radio lingo. The new center
became operational on June 11, 2001
with a consolidation of 4 of the
original 6 municipalities. The process
was completed on November 30, 2001
with the consolidation of the final 2
remaining municipalities. The centre
operates with 16 fully functional
workstations, including 10 call taker/
dispatcher workstations, 2 supervisory
workstations, two tactical workstations for major incidents, and two
training workstations. Technological
advances include:
• JES channels (Joint Emergency
Services)
• 15 radio tower sites
• Motorola Smartzone 800mhz
Radio System
• Subway radio coverage
• 900mhz station alerting
• Map based Intergraph Public
Safety System (CAD)
• Closest vehicle dispatch
• Vehicle selection by specialized
equipment
• GPS vehicle tracking
• MDT vehicle status
The pre-amalgamation dispatch
centers were staffed with 4 shifts of
3-4 per shift with each person sharing
the workload by taking calls and dispatching. The new center incorporates
a shift minimum of 13 (including 2
captains and a D/C) and has moved to
more specific work assignments with
4 call taking positions and 6 dispatch
positions. Although not assigned a
specific desk, with the man-for-a-man
relieving system, most find that their
time is split fairly evenly between the
two. Call takers handle emergency
and non-emergency incoming calls
and forward the requests for service
to the dispatcher via the computer
system. Using the Computer Aided
Dispatch (CAD) System, the dispatcher then up-dates the call, uses the
recommend function to determine
which trucks should attend, and verbalizes the dispatch information.
Everything that was the same is the
same – only different – and there’s
[
more of it. Calls for service continue
to increase and keep pace with the
population growth in the city.
The Communications Division continues to evolve technologically with
new mapping, dispatch, computer, and
telephone upgrades and is supported
fully with in-house IT staff and Radio
Technicians. Training has also taken
on a new direction since amalgamation. Not only have we had close to
50% turnover through new hires, but
change remains a part of our new
environment. The recruits are now
trained in-house, and from approximately ten recruits a year at amalgamation, we now forecast three to four
new telecommunicators each year.
A newly established Communications
Training Captain position will help
with recruit training, in-service training, and project work.
As things settle to a steady hum of
activity, focus now turns to continued
Quality Assurance improvements, the
development of in-house standards,
and customer service – to both the
public, Operations, and other Support
Divisions.
The calls still come in, and as usual
range from the elderly lady who isn’t
sure whether she should take the lids
off her tin cans before recycling to the
middle of the night house fire that’s
rolling before the first call comes in.
The one thing that remains a constant
despite our changing environment is
that each call for service is answered
with the highest concern for public
and firefighter safety.
CALL TAKERS HANDLE EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY
INCOMING CALLS AND FORWARD THE REQUESTS FOR SERVICE
TO THE DISPATCHER VIA THE COMPUTER SYSTEM.
]
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 23
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24
THE CANDIDATE PHYSICAL
ABILITY TEST
Janos Csepreghi – Toronto Fire Fighter
Toronto Fire Services is currently
using the Brock University Firefighter
Screening Services to assess candidate
fitness. The Brock screening includes
a medical component for vision and
hearing, a fitness component that
measures VO2 maximum and other
fitness measures as well as the
Candidate Physical Ability Test
(CPAT) to measure ability to do job
specific tasks. Brock and other
locations throughout Ontario and
the US, are licensed by the IAFF/IAFC
to administer CPAT.
The Candidate Physical Ability Test
is a circuit of eight events, testing the
physical strength and endurance of
prospective fire fighter recruits. The
standard test was developed in conjunction with the IAFF and IAFC, allowing fire departments to obtain
pools of trainable candidates who are
physically able to perform essential
firefighting tasks. Each event is completed in a sequence that simulates
the events and physical demands at a
fire scene.
CPAT is a pass/fail test based on a
maximum time expenditure of 10
minutes and 20 seconds. A failure is
given if any of the events are not completed within the strictly enforced
guidelines, or the maximum time limit is exceeded prior to the completion
of the test. To simulate the physical
demand of wearing SCBA and bunker
gear, candidates wear a 50-pound
(22.68-kg) vest throughout the test.
Between events, candidates walk
(running results in a failure) along a
predetermined 85-foot (25.91-m) path
providing approximately 20 seconds
to recover and regroup. The eight
events are (in order):
1
STAIR CLIMB
2
HOSE DRAG
Challenges aerobic capacity and
lower body muscular endurance.
This event is designed to simulate
climbing stairs to the fire floor wearing full PPE and carrying high-rise
equipment. Wearing the 50-pound
vest in addition to two 12.5-pound
(5.67-kg) shoulder weights, the candidate must walk on the Step Mill at a
constant pace of 60 steps per minute
for 3 minutes total. The 10 minute
and 20 second time limit starts with
the first step. Touching the handrail
or dismounting the machine prematurely will result in failure.
Challenges upper body muscular
strength in conjunction with aerobic
and anaerobic energy systems.
This event is designed to simulate
dragging an uncharged hose line from
the apparatus, around obstacles, to
the fire scene. The candidate grasps a
200-foot (60-m), 1 _-inch (44-mm)
hose. Placing the hose line over their
shoulder the candidate drags the hose
to a pre-positioned drum, executes a
90˚ turn around the drum and move
towards a 5-foot x 7-foot (1.52-mx
2.13-m) box. Once inside the box the
candidate must drop to their knee and
pull 50-feet (15.24-m) of hose past
the entrance of the box. Neglecting to
keep one knee on the ground or moving outside of the box will result in
failure.
3EQUIPMENT CARRY
Challenges upper body muscular
strength, lower body muscular
endurance, and balance.
This event is designed to simulate the
removal of power tools from an apparatus, carrying them to the emergency
scene and returning the equipment to
the apparatus. The candidate removes
two saws from a tool cabinet, one at a
time, and places them on the ground.
Both saws must be picked up, one in
each hand, and carried while walking
75-feet (22.86-m) around a drum, and
back to the starting point. Upon returning to the tool cabinet, the saws
are to be placed on the ground, picked
up one at a time, and replaced to its
designated place in the cabinet.
Dropping any piece of equipment will
result in failure.
4
LADDER RAISE AND
EXTENSION
Challenges upper body muscular
strength and grip strength.
This event is designed to simulate the
task of placing a ground ladder at a
fire structure and extending the ladder to the roof or window. The candidate must approach the top rung of a
24-foot (7.32-m) aluminum extension
ladder, lift the unhinged end from the
ground, and walk it up until it is
stationary against the wall. Then the
candidate must immediately proceed
to the pre-positioned and secured
24-foot (7.32-m) aluminum extension
ladder and extend the fly section
hand over hand until it hits the stop.
Then the fly section must be lowered,
hand over hand, in a controlled
fashion to the starting position.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 25
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26
The Candidate Physical Ability Test ... Continued from page 25
The use of the rails to raise the ladder,
or letting the rope halyard slip during
the fly’s assent or descent will result
in failure.
5FORCIBLE ENTRY
Challenges upper body muscular
strength and endurance.
This event is designed to simulate the
critical tasks of using force to open a
locked door or to breach a wall. The
candidate must use a 10-pound (4.54kg) sledgehammer to strike a measuring device until a buzzer is activated.
The release of the sledgehammer
while swinging will result in failure.
6SEARCH
Challenges agility, balance and
kinesthetic awareness.
This event is designed to simulate the
critical task of searching for a fire victim with limited visibility in an unpredictable area. The candidate must
crawl through a tunnel maze that is
approximately 3-feet (91.44-cm) high,
4-feet (121.92-cm) wide and 64-feet
(19.51-m) in length with two 90˚
turns. At a number of locations in the
tunnel, the candidate must navigate
around, over and under obstacles. In
addition, at two locations, they must
crawl through a narrowed space
where the dimensions of the tunnel
are reduced. A request for assistance
that requires the opening of the escape hatch or the entrance or exit covers will result in failure.
7 RESCUE
Challenges aerobic capacity, upper
and lower body muscular strength and
endurance.
This event is designed to simulate the
critical task of removing a victim or
injured partner from a fire scene. The
candidate must grasp a 165-pound
(74.84-kg) mannequin, drag it 35-feet
(10.67-m) to a pre-positioned drum,
make a 180˚ turn around the drum,
and continue an additional 35-feet
(10.67-m) to the finish line. Grasping
or resting on the drum at any time
will result in failure.
8CEILING BREACH AND PULL
Challenges aerobic capacity, upper
and lower body muscular strength and
endurance.
This event is designed to simulate
overhaul activities of breaching and
pulling down a ceiling looking for
fire extension. The candidate must
use a pike pole to fully push up a
60-pound hinged door 3 times, then
hook the pike pole to an 80-pound
ceiling device and pull down 5 times.
The entire set must be repeated four
times. Incorrect or insufficient sets
do not constitute a failure, but must
be redone. The completion of the
final set will stop the timer and
conclude the CPAT. Any time over
10 minutes and 20 seconds constitutes a failure.
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pool tables - golf simulators - bowling - off-track wagering
For Group/Platoon events, contact our Sales Dept.
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What’s PRIVACY got to do
with it?
T
Suzanne Craig - Director, City of Toronto Corporate Access & Privacy
hese days we have been hearing
a lot about openness, transparency and accountability. At the
same time, there is not a week that
goes by that we are not made aware of
the importance of privacy and the
protection of personal information in
our day-to-day lives.
Prior to the enactment of access and
privacy legislation in Ontario, access
to information and the protection of
personal privacy were dealt with
through the policy and procedures of
individual institutions. The Williams
Commission was established in 1977
with the mandate to provide a framework of consistent principles to guide
the public’s access to government-held
information and the protection of
individual privacy. The Commission
focused on:
(a) the individual’s right of access
and appeal in relation to the use of
Government information;
(b) the protection of individual privacy and the right of recourse in regard
to the use of Government records.
Following the Williams Commission’s report, freedom of information
laws were enacted to govern access
and privacy in public institutions at
the provincial level in January 1988
(the Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act) and the municipal level in January 1991 (the Municipal Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act). The two
laws are quite similar to each other,
and provide the public with rights
of access and place corresponding
obligations on government institutions
to disclose information in the public
interest and protect the privacy of
individuals. However, access to infor-
mation and protection of privacy
were limited by the enactment
of Bill 7.
In 1995, the Ontario government enacted the Labour Relations and Employment Statute
Law Amendment Act (Bill 7),
which contained provisions that
excluded a wide range of employment-related records about public sector employees from the
scope of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
(FIPPA) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). As
a result of Bill 7, government records that fall within the scope
of section 52(3) of the MFIPPA,
are excluded from the application
of the Act. However, the very exemptions that exclude labour relations matters from the application of MFIPPA, often prevent
public sector employees from obtaining access to
most
employment-related
records
about themselves, and from
filing a privacy complaint if they
feel that their personal information has been improperly collected,
used, disclosed or retained.
So do we have a right to
Privacy?
Apart from the Province of Quebec,
there is not a complete recognition of
an invasion of privacy breach in Canada. Often we try to fit the concept of
an invasion of privacy neatly into other
recognized breaches, such as trespass.
However privacy interests are not
always linked to property ownership.
As a result, just because we cannot
squarely place privacy within a recognized contravention does not take
away from the fact that privacy is an
important part of our lives, inside and
outside of the workplace.
Court decisions have dealt with the
concept of invasion of privacy in the
criminal context and found that
privacy is « essential for the well-being
of the individual »*.
Unable to find a consensus on a definition of a common law tort of invasion of privacy, Canadian jurisdictions
have created a statutory protection regime of privacy.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 29
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30
What’s Privacy Got to Do With it? ... Continued from page 29
The Federal Court held that video surveillance was useful to
deter theft, vandalism and trespassers, to enhance the
security of its employees, and for investigations
Generally, in unionized workplaces,
collective agreements govern most
employment practices. Although arbitration cases have developed a standard for a right to privacy in the
workplace, the collective bargaining
process has only just begun to include
tools to regulate employment practices that relate to privacy rights.
Privacy in the Workplace
There is a body of arbitral jurisprudence that relates to privacy in the
workplace outside of the application
of MFIPPA. In Eastmond v. Canadian
Pacific Railway & Privacy Commissioner of Canada (June 11, 2004), the
Federal Court of Canada refused to
confirm a report by the federal Privacy
Commissioner under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic
Documents Act (PIPEDA) which had
held that Canadian Pacific Railway
was in breach of its PIPEDA privacy
obligations.
The complainant, an employee at
the Canadian Pacific Railway and a
member of CAW-Canada, Local 1001,
filed a complaint with the Privacy
Commissioner of Canada about CP’s
installation of 6 digital recording surveillance cameras in its mechanical facility area. The mechanical facility area
was part of CP’s main rail classification
and maintenance yard in Scarborough,
Ontario. CP had previously installed
cameras to track the movement of
trains. The cameras in question focus
on door entrances and exits.
The complainant claimed that the
installation of the cameras was
unlawful because:
• it was done without union consultation;
• there was no security problem that
could justify the invasion of privacy;
• the system could be used to monitor the conduct and work perfor-
mance of workers, which would be
an affront to human dignity; and
• the negative effect on workers’
morale and the working climate was
dangerous
CP responded that the cameras were
necessary to reduce vandalism and
theft and to reduce the potential
liability for property damage and to
provide security for staff. The Privacy
Commissioner held that a reasonable
person would not consider the circumstances given by CP sufficient to warrant taking as intrusive a measure as
installing video surveillance cameras.
The complainant applied to the Federal court for an order confirming the
Privacy Commissioner’s report and requiring the removal of the video camera system and the destruction of any
videotape recordings generated by it.
The Federal Court held that video
surveillance was useful to deter theft,
vandalism and trespassers, to enhance
the security of its employees, and
for investigations. It found that collection of personal information was not
surreptitious or continuous, nor was
it limited to CP employees. The collection was not intended to measure an
employee’s work performance and
images collected could not be used
to measure productivity. Finally, the
recorded images were kept secure and
were not available for viewing unless
an incident was reported.
The Federal Court found that in this
case, there was a balance of the privacy interests of employees with the legitimate interests of employers when
determining whether to admit videotaped evidence at arbitration.
What about Ontario’s provincial and
municipal privacy legislation?
Section 52 of MFIPPA excludes from
its application, records in relation to
employment or labour relations matters. This section is record-specific
and fact-specific, so that if it applies
to a specific
record, in the circumstances of a particular access request or
appeal, and none of the exceptions listed are present,
then the record is excluded from
the scope of the MFIPPA.
Since the enactment of Bill 7 in
1995, institutions have relied on the «
labour relations » exclusion to remove
government-held records relating to
these issues from being captured
and governed by MFIPPA legislation.
However, the principles of openness
and transparency embodied in MFIPPA dictate that individuals have the
right to know what information is
being collected about them and how
the information is being used by
decision makers in the decision-making process. Its not just about the
protection of privacy, it is a matter of
respecting individuals.
The City of Toronto’s Access and
Privacy Office has a mandate to continually strengthen the effective access to information and protection of
privacy as a corporate priority. The
foundation upon which this mandate
is built is the belief that informed
citizens are essential to the democratic process and that the protection of
privacy fosters a culture of respect.
The important challenge faced by the
City is to balance the protection of
personal information in governmentheld records with the public’s right
of access to information regarding
government decision-making.
What do MFIPPA’s access and privacy
principles have to do with the City of
Toronto? It’s how we measure respect.
It’s how we measure accountability.
* R. V. Dyment [1988] 2 S.C.R. 417 at 427
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 31
STATION
225
Scarborough
S
Toronto Fire Fighter JON LASIUK
FFire Fighters Museum
N
ovember 2nd, 2005 marked the 80th anniversary of full-time professional fire protection in the
community of Scarborough. Eighty years ago Scarborough was starting to grow as a bedroom
community to Toronto. Improved fire services were demanded by the residents in the south-west
corner of the township and in response to that, Council authorized the hiring of three full-time men and the
construction of a new hall at 351 Birchmount Rd.
32
The building was of a unique design
to accommodate both the township’s
fire and police departments. In fact,
two jail cells were constructed in
the basement. Many a new recruit
undoubtedly did “time” when he was
welcomed to the hall!
A brand-new Gotfredson pumper
was also purchased, although the
politicians of the day restricted the
full-time crew to protecting the southwest area of Scarborough only –
deciding instead to rely on volunteers
for the rest of the township.
The Birchmount fire hall would
remain the only hall in Scarborough
for more than twenty years. A
disastrous hotel fire on Kingston Rd.
on September 25th, 1943 would be
the impetus to change that. The Falcon
Inn burnt to the ground as the
firefighters struggled with out-dated
apparatus and a lack of water mains.
The Fire Marshall’s inquest that
followed praised the firefighters who
went above and beyond while
censuring the township’s lack of
action on earlier recommendations
of additional staff and apparatus
to protect the growing township.
Scarborough’s second firehall would
be built on Morrish Rd. in 1946, but
would not be staffed with full-time
firefighters until 1955.
As the Scarborough Fire Dept. grew
to 15 halls and more than 600
firefighters, it slowly became evident
that the old hall on the corner of
Birchmount and Highview had outlived its days. Land was acquired at
3600 Danforth Ave., and on September
28th, 1998 Scarborough Pumper 1 ran
their first call from the brand new
hall.
The first new hall accepted into the
new Toronto Fire Services, it was
designed with two drive-through
extra deep bays. The single-storey hall
incorporates spacious living facilities
and can easily fit two or more crews.
The official opening ceremony on
October 7th, 1998 featured a keynote
speech from the descendants of Fire
Chief Tommy Love, who served as
Chief of the S.F.D. for 30 years
between 1926 and 1956.
As a fitting use for the old Birchmount hall, the Scarborough Fire
Fighters Retirees Club donated hundreds of man-hours developing the
building and an adjoining garage into
one of the finest fire museums in the
province. Old apparatus are displayed
along with historical equipment,
photographs and archives documenting the entire history of the Scarbor-
ough Fire Dept. The museum is open
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 A.M.
to noon and 1:30 P.M. to 3.30 P.M.
Group tours can be arranged for
other times at 416-338-9236. Retiree
Al Cousins and other volunteers are
always available to answer questions
about firefighting in Scarborough.
They provide a link to the past for
today’s kids who want to learn
more about their heroes – the city’s
firefighters.
APPARATUS & RUN STATS
Providing coverage to a large geographic area, Rescue 225 ran 2442
calls in 2005 with their 2002 Spartan/Smeal rescue-pumper. Stationed
alongside them is the District Chief in
charge of the 22nd District. Car 22
ran 2099 calls last year, utilizing a
2001 Ford E350XL van.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 33
Your Group Morgage Program Code is TPAMM
34
&
FIRE FIGHTER
SURVIVAL & RESCUE
&
Toronto Fire Fighters GEOFF BOISSEAU & JOHN MCGILL
In a joint effort between the Toronto Fire Services and Local 3888, a 24-hour Fire Fighter
Survival, Rescue and RIT program has been developed to train TFS Fire Fighters to handle
possible fire ground emergencies. In the previous three issues we discussed fire ground
survival through training (prevention) and self rescue. This issue we will discuss some of
the key points in saving your partner or crewmember in a fire ground emergency. This is the
third key element in helping to reduce fire ground injuries and line of duty deaths.
As firefighters, our first instinct when
we hear of a person in trouble is to help,
that is what we do. What happens if
help is required by another firefighter
in distress on the fire ground? We want
to help. We feel we have to help. That is
our duty to our brothers and sisters.
Leave no one behind. Right?
So in order to do this you must ask
yourself, “if a fire ground emergency
takes place how can my crew or I
contribute to a positive outcome?”
Remember, a MAYDAY has just been
put out over the radio for a firefighter in
distress. This will undoubtedly be an
extremely stressful and confusing
time for everyone on the fire ground.
Your first impulse will be to drop
everything and help. Despite this urge
it is necessary for you to take the time
as both an individual and a crew to
consider the following:
CAN I/WE ASSIST?
1
Determining whether you are in
fact able to assist a downed firefighter will have to be based upon
numerous factors, including:
• Mental and physical state of your
crew.
• Are you in the vicinity to offer
assistance?
• Have rescue efforts already started?
• What are the fire and building
conditions?
CAN YOU LEAVE YOUR TASK?
2
Once you are in a position both
mentally and physically as a crew
to affect a rescue, and fire conditions
allow, you must then look at the task
that you are doing and decide that if
by leaving that task you are not going
to put more lives at risk. Is the task
you are doing protecting the downed
firefighter indirectly or protecting
other firefighters on the fire ground?
For example, if your crew is on a hose
line fighting a fire, can you just drop it
and go and help? Are you SURE that the
fire you are fighting is not protecting
the firefighter in distress or other
firefighters?
If you determine that you can, then
you must then consider:
• Getting permission to leave your
task. This permission comes from a
sector officer or incident commander.
Without that permission you are
freelancing.
• Do you have the resources to leave
the task and assist the firefighter?
Does your crew have enough air? Does
your crew have the proper tools? Can
you get yourself out?
ARE WE GOING TO HELP OR
HURT THE SITUATION?
3
Now look at the situation and
ask yourself, “are we going to make it
better or worse?”
Some things to consider in this regard are:
• Are rescue operations already
underway? Will we get in the way?
• Did the incident commander give
permission?
• The most important factor to any
successful fire ground rescue is the
concept of self-preservation. Can we
still save ourselves? Remember, it is
not an attempt to rescue at all costs. Try
not to let your emotions cloud your
judgment. Don’t get into a situation that
is beyond your, or your crew’s abilities.
IF YOU HEAR A PASS ALARM
SOUNDING
The following scenario illustrates how a
crew might react to hearing an unidentified PASS alarm sounding on the
fireground:
Your crew is in a building doing
secondary search for victims. You hear a
PASS alarm that has been activated by
an unknown firefighter in the vicinity
in which you are working. Your crew
could follow these steps to help in the
rescue of a firefighter:
Determine location or direction from
which the PASS alarm is sounding.
Notify command that you hear a
sustained PASS alarm sounding. Ask
if there has been a report of a downed
firefighter. This step alone might save
the firefighter’s life. You have initiated
the rescue protocol.
1
2
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 35
*ÀœÕ`Ê-Õ««œÀÌiÀÃʜvÊ̅i
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Survival & Rescue ... Continued from page 35
3
Assess your crews’ air supply to
determine if you can commence a
search, if required, and notify command of your status.
Await acknowledgement from
command. If command gives you
permission to leave your task (secondary search) you will be assigned to the
firefighter rescue sector (RIT Sector).
If not, you must continue with your
task or exit.
If the pass alarm has not been silenced, announce MAYDAY for the
unknown firefighter and begin search.
Why do you announce MAYDAY at this
time? Following our MAYDAY policy,
if a firefighter does not have a radio
and they require a MAYDAY, they are
to activate their PASS alarm manually.
Therefore we must react to a sustained
activated PASS with no radio message
as a MAYDAY situation.
Announce to command what direction you are traveling, landmarks,
conditions and if the PASS is getting
louder. Continually assess your direction of travel, interior conditions, and
your crews’ air supply to determine if
you can continue the search. Always be
aware of your exit locations.
When the firefighter has been
located, give an update to the
4
5
6
7
-ANOLIS-AKRIS
-IKE
RITSO on location, condition, actions,
resources required etc.
Continually assess your crews’ air
supply to determine if, and for how
long you can continue in the rescue.
Package the downed firefighter and
update or EXIT. Just by finding the
firefighter and updating the RITSO,
you might have just saved their life as
these actions will enable the RIT to find
them faster.
8
REMEMBER: Do not become a part
of the problem
To rescue another firefighter from a
fire ground emergency it is essential
that the event does not become more
complicated then it needs to be. You
can only help matters if you do not make
them worse. You will become a part of
the problem if you attempt a rescue
without the proper resources. Just like
when saving our partner, it is important
that we do everything in our power to
save another firefighter, BUT we must
recognize our individual limitations and
the limitations of our crew members
first. This is the only way to ensure that
we remain a part of the solution and do
not become part of the problem.
Being part of the solution often may
mean not being directly involved in res-
TO
N
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O
4
0-
410354#"3(3*-$UPONT3TREET'ALLERIA-ALL4ORONTO/.
4EL&AX
cue operations at all. You may be more
helpful to a rescue crew by telling them
what you know about the interior layout, fire conditions and any other pertinent information, rather than reacting
improperly to the situation and jeopardizing not only yourself and
your
crew, but all firefighters on the fire
ground.
If you cannot save yourself, you cannot
save your partner. If you cannot save your
partner or crew member, you cannot save another firefighter on the fire ground. If both of
these factors are not met then you certainly
cannot act as a firefighter’s last line of defense on the fire ground. Fire ground survival
depends on it.
Next issue we will discuss this last line of
defense- Rapid Intervention Teams.
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SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 37
38
20
th Anniversary
of Hazard I
By JON LASIUK AND BILL COONEY
E
changes, calling for the relocation
arlier this year marked
of the Haz to the more centralthe 20th anniversary of
ST
TORONTO’S 1 HAZ MAT CLASS OF 1995:
ized Adelaide St. Fire Station and
Toronto’s first dedicated
its permanent staffing by a full
hazardous materials apparatus.
Capt. John Langcaster
Capt. Ben Farrell
Capt. Jim Green
crew. The officers for the truck
Partially funded by a provincial
Capt. Rick Chayko
Bill Cooney
Jack Turner
came from Aerial 1, which had
JEPP grant, Hazard 1 was officially
Rob Pennington
Fabian Ennis
John Creed
been disbanded under the Fire
dedicated in a ceremony at the
Rick Brown
Geoff Boisseau
John Kitsco
Plan. As a six-month temporary
Toronto Fire Academy on Friday,
Jean Jasudavicius
Kevin Boudewyn
Peter White
trial, Fire Fighters were tempoFebruary 21st, 1986. Councillor
Cheryl Rendle
rarily detailed from Station 15
Fred Beavis burned a strip of
to Station 1 to staff the truck
yellow barrier tape to ‘christen’
commencing on October 4th, 1994. The trial was considered
the new truck.
a success, and in April 1995 the staffing was declared
The truck was built by Dependable Emergency Vehicles of
permanent.
Brampton on a 1985 Mack MR chassis, featuring a number of
To bring its crew up to NFPA 472 Haz Mat Technician levels,
innovations, including a telescopic light mast for scene lighting
its crew rotated through an intensive training course, with
at major calls, a first for TFD apparatus. The truck also came
the TFD’s first Haz Mat technicians graduating from their
sporting a wide white strip down the length of its body, a
course at the Fire Academy on July
short lived experiment that was only ever applied to three
6h, 1995.
trucks.
The need for a dediAs with many specialized apparatus, the ‘Haz’s’ first
cated Haz Mat crew is
run occurred before its official in-service date. On
now a given in a large
Thursday, February 13th, 1986, a tanker truck was
urban area. With the
westbound on the Gardiner at Parkside Drive when it
amalgamation of the
began leaking toluene,
six Metro Fire Departbenzene and Xylene
ments in 1998, Toronto Fire Services
waste. Companies on
saw a need for an expanded Haz Mat capability.
the scene requested
To assist Hazard 332, the department organized Hazard
Hazard 1 to respond, at
145 on July 21st, 2001.
that time it was at the
In 2005, it was time to replace the original Haz truck.
Fire Academy training.
With intensive input from the Haz Mat technicians at
It responded with Planning and
Station 332, a new truck was designed from the wheels up.
Research Division Chief Rem Gaade in charge and a
lightSeagrave’s Carleton Place factory was tendered to build the
duty Fire Fighter detailed from Rescue 2 driving.
Initially the apparatus was stationed at Station 15 on
vehicle with a special three-door Spartan cab to facilitate a
Lansdowne Ave. One crew member from one of the other
computerized work station complete with fax machine and cell
three companies in the station would be detailed to staff it on
phone. Crews can research the chemical threat while still
a one month rotation. Because of its provincial funding,
enroute. The truck now holds enhanced Chemical, Biological,
Hazard 1’s mandate included a mutual aid running area
Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) equipment to cope with the
throughout Southern Ontario. The apparatus was equipped
increased terrorist threat of the post-9/11 world. A drop down
with radios that could transmit with all other Metro Fire
awning is used for rehab. Other features include a heated foam
Departments as well as departments province wide via its
compartment, onboard generator, and a 100-ft. air hose reel.
OFM radio.
The new truck went into service on December 23rd, 2005.
As the number of Haz Mat calls increased, the TFD decided
With this new apparatus it is evident that Toronto’s
that a dedicated crew of Haz Mat Technicians was required in
firefighters will be well prepared for any Haz Mat emergency
the city. The Master Fire Plan of 1994 was the basis of these
well into the 2020’s.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 39
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COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT REVIEW
Attaining Seniority
ONE ITEM THAT CONTINUES TO GENERATE A LOT OF QUESTIONS IS THE ACCRUAL OF SENIORITY. IT IS CLEARLY
LAID OUT IN THE CONTRACT, BUT THE ACCRUAL IS DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU APPLY THE SENIORITY
TOWARD. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE WE WILL LOOK AT SENIORITY AND HOW IT IS ACCRUED AND
APPLIED TO PROMOTIONS, VACATION ENTITLEMENT AND RECOGNITION PAY.
Article 4.06 pertains to the accrual of
service and seniority, it reads:
SERVICE AND SENIORITY
(a) Any current or future city employees
who are subsequently employed within
a position covered by the Local 3888
bargaining unit shall retain and shall be
credited with such service and/or seniority as they had accumulated outside of
the Local 3888 bargaining unit during
their latest period of continuous employment with the City. Such service and/or
seniority shall apply within the Local
3888 collective agreement in all respects
except for:
(i) Future promotions within the
Local 3888 bargaining unit;
(ii) Lay off and recall within the
Local 3888 bargaining unit; and,
(iii) Entitlement to Recognition Pay.
With respect to those matters set out in
paragraphs (i) through (iii) above service
and/or seniority will begin to accumulate
from their first date of employment with
a position that falls within the Local 3888
bargaining unit.
What this basically says is that for
employees of the city who enter into
Local 3888, their start date with the city
becomes their seniority date except for
purpose of promotions, layoff and recall,
and recognition pay. This means that
for vacation entitlement and sick time
gratuities they are entitled to their city
start date.
Due to amalgamation, employees who
were hired by respective fire services
prior to amalgamation do not receive
this same level of benefit. This is a result
of Bill 136, the amalgamation act, which
did not recognize this past time with
other jurisdictions.
The application of seniority for the
various provisions of the collective
agreement are as follows:
VACATION ENTITLEMENT
Your vacation entitlement is determined
by the calendar year in which you complete the year’s service. At nine years
you get four weeks vacation, at seventeen years you get five weeks, etc. It is in
the calendar year in which you complete
the service that application begins.
3IMPLYTHEBEST
Example: If you started in the fire service in the calendar year of 1991 – you
would complete your nine years service
in the calendar year of 2000, therefore in
2000 you would be entitled to four weeks
vacation. It would not matter if you were
hired in January 1991 or December 1991
all employees hired in that calendar year
complete their nine years of service in
2000 and therefore are entitled to the
four weeks in that year.
You actually accrue your vacation
entitlement in the year previous to the
year it is used. Therefore, depending on
your retirement date you will have accrued some of the next year’s vacation
and be entitled to a pay out for it.
Example: An employee who was hired
on July 1, 1975 and retires April 1, 2006.
The employee is entitled to six weeks
vacation in 2006 and because s/he has
worked for 3 months in 2006 they are
entitled to one quarter of their vacation
entitlement for 2007.
An employee that leaves the service
for any reason other than retirement (i.e.
resigns, is terminated etc.) only
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SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 41
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42
CA Review ... Continued from page 41
accrues vacation from their date of hire.
So in the example above the employee,
having been hired in July of 1975 would
not have accrued any of their 2007
vacation and in fact would not have fully
accrued their 2006 vacation. If they
had used their entire 2006 allotment
(six weeks) prior to retiring, they could
actually find themselves in a position of
having the excess time used recovered
in their final pay adjustments. The
employee that resigns or is terminated
gets only what they have accrued and
are legally entitled to. The employee that
retires gets the additional perquisite.
PROMOTION
Seniority for purposes of promotion is
always considered from your start date
in Toronto Fire or your former municipality (pre-amalgamation). The service
clause states the following:
Service: Service for this Article means
continuous employment with Toronto
Fire Services and/or the Fire Departments of the predecessor Municipalities,
but shall be reduced by any periods an
employee is absent on Long Term Disability or unpaid leave, or is on lay-off or for
any other periods which are not approved
or expressly included like employment on
special projects, special assignments and
secondments during the last two years
prior to a promotion competition.
For promotions; service is not only
from your start date with fire, it must
also be continuous employment. An
employee who is on unpaid leave has
their start date adjusted by that period
of time they are on unpaid leave.
Eligibility is determined as of the end
of the year the process commences.
Therefore, if the promotional call goes
out for Captains in the Operations Division in October 2005, to be eligible
you must have ten years completed by
December 31, 2005 with the two years
immediately prior in the division.
In the situation above, anyone that
was hired in 1995 or prior, after taking
into account any broken service, is eligible provided they have been assigned
to the Operations Division from January
1, 2004 on.
RECOGNITION PAY
Recognition pay, like promotional service, is calculated based on; continuous
employment with Toronto Fire Services
and/or the Fire Departments of the
predecessor Municipalities.
Unlike most of the above it is implemented on your actual anniversary date
of employment with a position that falls
within the Local 3888 (or predecessor)
bargaining unit.
Recognition pay is triggered on completion of your eighth (8), seventeenth
(17) and twenty-third (23) anniversary
dates.
Example: An employee hired August 15,
1998 completes eight years of service on
August 15, 2006 and is entitled to recognition pay in the pay period following the
anniversary date. The calculation for the
first pay period would be adjusted and
pro-rated to the exact anniversary day.
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SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 43
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2006 TPFFA OFF-DUTY AWARDS
I
t is no secret that each and every day our members serve their communities in an
exemplary manner while on-duty. These efforts are highlighted in the various media
outlets across the city on a regular basis. However, a less known fact is that many of
our members encounter situations while off-duty that are very deserving of recognition.
From left to right is Mark Foley, James Hart, Bill Cooney, Brian McAlinden
Each spring, Local 3888 hosts an
Off-Duty Awards luncheon in order to
recognize the exceptional efforts and
achievements of our members while
off-duty. Three awards are presented
to Local 3888 members by the TPFFA
and one award is presented by the
members of Box 12.
The first award is the Bernard “Ben”
Bonser award which is awarded to a
Toronto Fire Fighter who, while offduty, made a rescue or was involved in
saving the life of a citizen in a hazardous or life threatening situation.
The second award is the Al Pearsall
award. This award is presented to the
Toronto Fire Fighter who best contributed their time and abilities while offduty toward the improvement of his or
her community.
And the final Local 3888 award is
the Roy Silver Award. This Award is
presented to the Toronto Fire Fighter
who, during the past year, best distin-
guished himself/herself by performing
first aid and/or CPR while off-duty.
The Box 12 award is presented in
recognition of outstanding volunteer
service for the direct benefit of Toronto Fire Fighters.
This year’s luncheon was held on
Friday April 28th at the Downtown
Sheraton hotel on Queen Street West.
In attendance were the award recipients and their families, the Honourable Monty Kwinter, Minister of
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 45
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46
2006 TPFFA OFF-DUTY AWARDS ... Continued from page 45
[
While driving through Brooklin in the early morning of September 10th, this fire fighter noticed
what looked like a person hanging from the pavilion in Grass Park. When he took a closer look
he noticed the man grasping at the rope around his neck.
Community Safety and Correctional
Services, your local 3888 Executive
Board, senior TFS management staff,
and members of the media.
The following members received
awards for their efforts and achievements which occurred while off-duty
in 2005:
BERNARD “BEN” BONSER
AWARD
Presented to Toronto Fire Fighter
BRIAN MCALINDEN
While driving through Brooklin in the
early morning of September 10th, this
fire fighter noticed what looked like a
person hanging from the pavilion in
Grass Park. When he took a closer look
he noticed the man grasping at the
rope around his neck. He called 911
while quickly moving a picnic table
over to try and remove the rope. As
the firefighter attempted to untie the
rope, the man’s vital signs were lost.
After a couple of attempts he was successful in removing the rope and helping the man to the ground. While on
the ground he performed an initial assessment and confirmed the man was
VSA. Using his training he quickly
started CPR. During the second round
of compressions a gasp was heard and
the man started to breath on his own.
The Ambulance and Fire Department
arrived shortly after and took over.
Several days later he was contacted by
the Whitby Fire Department and informed that the man regained consciousness two days later and that the
family would like to meet with him.
The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association donated $500.00
to the Hospital for Sick Children
Foundation on behalf of our 2005
Bernard “Ben” Bonser award winner.
AL PEARSALL AWARD
Presented to Toronto Fire Fighter
MARK FOLEY
Mark showed a positive attitude and
enthusiasm for the students of St.
Mary’s Elementary School. He donated sports equipment, school supplies
and countless hours for the betterment of the school. He supplied and
installed laminated fire alarm and fire
escape signs, painted lines in the
school yard for children’s games and
helped organize and facilitate the 50th
anniversary gala just to name a few
things. Mark was nominated for this
award by the principal at St. Mary’s
Elementary school.
The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association donated $500.00 to
the Arthritis Society on behalf of our
2005 Al Pearsall award winner.
ROY SILVER AWARD
Presented to Toronto Fire Captain
JAMES HART
On the evening of July 2nd, James and
his family were onboard the Toronto
Island Ferry. A woman onboard collapsed after suffering a heart attack.
James and a physician from Sick Kids
Hospital jumped into action and
promptly started CPR on the victim.
]
James started chest compressions
while the victim’s husband performed
ventilations and the physician monitored the pulse. After approximately
2 minutes of CPR a pulse was regained.
A police boat with an ambulance
crew on-board arrived shortly after
and removed the patient who was
breathing on her own.
The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association will donate $500.00
to The Canadian National Institute for
the Blind on behalf of our 2005 Roy
Silver award winner.
BOX 12 AWARD
Presented by members of Box 12
to Toronto Acting Captain
BILL COONEY
Bill spent a considerable amount of his
own time researching and consulting
on the new hazmat apparatus located
at station 332. He went as far as
travelling to Ottawa on a couple of
occasions to check on the progress
of the vehicle and offer input into
various aspects of the design.
Box 12 and the OFBA made a
donation to the Kidney Foundation on
Bill’s behalf.
Nomination forms are distributed in
early January of each year to solicit
entries for the TPFFA off-duty awards.
All members of Local 3888 are
encouraged to submit an entry for
consideration on behalf of a fellow
deserving member.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 47
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ATTENDANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
EXEMPTIONS
Hugh Doherty, Rick Berenz, Scott Eyers – L3888 Grievance Committee
T
A member may be granted an exemption during any step of the ATM program where your attendance exceeds
the average of the division, however
one of the exemption criteria must be
met. For this article we will address
those who require a meeting at the
informal stage and the number of
absences within the calendar year is
10 days or more.
▲
Who grants the exemption at the
informal stage?
When an employee exceeds the divisional average of 10 sick days or more
within a calendar year, the D/C and
Platoon Chief/Divisional Chief review
How many exemption
criteria are available for
the member?
A member may be granted
an exemption based on the
following;
Exemption Criteria #1
met when requesting an exemption.
As per extenuating circumstances one
must do the following;
• Meet with the City no later than
60 days of the request, with
Association representation
• The member must be prepared
to provide to the City the reasons
for the request and/or medical
information to confirm
exemption request.
A one-time, clearly identifiable personal illness AND a previous record of
acceptable attendance. (Note: Acceptable attendance as per the policy will
be defined at the end of this section).
Exemption Criteria #2
A one time occasion of serious
emotional or psychological distress
resulting from a personal or family
crisis – either of which must make the
employee unable to perform their
duties AND a previous record of
acceptable attendance.
Exemption Criteria #3
A disability as defined by the Human
Rights Code, that includes a disability
resulting from a workplace injury.A
disability is a chronic or ongoing/long
term condition. It is not a severe temporary condition like a broken leg.
Exemption Criteria #4
In extenuating circumstances the TFS
may, in its sole, absolute and unlimited discretion, grant an employee an
exemption despite the fact that the
criteria as referred to above are not
▲
▲
How am I granted an Exemption?
the attendance record, along
with any relevant information, to confirm if the exemption is granted as per
the exemption criteria outlined in the ATM Policy.
▲
he original Attendance Management Program (ATM) that was
implemented by the Corporation was grieved by the Association
and we proceeded to arbitration/mediation, which resulted in an award
from arbitrator Ms. Louisa Davey.
Since the release of the arbitrated
award many meetings have taken
place to ensure the ATM program is
complied with and that your rights are
upheld in regards to any meetings
with the City on the Attendance Management Program.
One critical area of dispute between
the Corporation and Association was
the granting of exemptions for members of the Association. The Association was able to secure, through the
arbitration process, an exemption policy which requires members to meet
various criteria as outlined in the policy. The Association was the first City
union to be granted this benefit for
those who entered the ATM program.
Acceptable attendance for the
purposes of the ATM policy is
defined as:
• Total of not greater than eighteen
(18) sick days in the last three years.
• No greater than eight (8) sick days
in one of the last three (3) years.
• One year with less than or equal
to six (6) sick days in the last
three years
We hope this assists in clarifying
the exemption process for the ATM
program. Related information and
documents of the ATM program can
be referenced on the grievance
committee page of our Local 3888
website.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 49
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BILL 206
WHAT NOW?
B
ill 206 (An Act to Revise the
Ontario Municipal Employees
Retirement System Act) was
passed by the Ontario legislature
on February 23, 2006.
The Act will take effect upon proclamation, which is expected later this
year. This legislation establishes a new
and independent governance model
for OMERS, gives employers and employees more control over the OMERS
pension plan and introduces supplemental plans. The government also
announced that the new governance
model will be reviewed in 2012 to
assess its fairness, accountability and
efficiency.
With the new OMERS Act, current
pension benefits and contribution
rates do not change. The plan continues to provide guaranteed retirement
income for life, including inflation
protection and excellent survivor and
disability benefits. Like all registered
pension plans, OMERS is subject to
laws that protect the rights of
members and set investment limits to
minimize risk to the pension fund.
The new OMERS Act does not affect
these provisions.
Independence for OMERS means
those who pay for the plan make the
key plan design decisions. Essentially,
the new OMERS Act changes the
plan’s sponsor. The Province of
Ontario makes no direct contributions
to the plan but, until now made all
final decisions on such things as
plan design, benefit changes and
appointing the OMERS Board.
The new OMERS Act replaces the
government as sponsor with the new
OMERS Sponsors Corporation, whose
Board of Directors will represent the
current and former employees who
are members of OMERS, and the municipalities and other organizations
that employ them.
The Sponsors Corporation will have
the final say on important issues,
including plan design (the structure
and type of benefits offered) and contribution rate changes. These types of
decisions will require a two-thirds
majority of the Sponsors Corporation.
If the Sponsors Corporation cannot
agree on a proposed change, the new
Act establishes transitional rules for
the use of mediation and arbitration.
The Sponsors Corporation is responsible for the plan design, benefits and
contribution rates (two-thirds majority required). It will be made up of 14
voting members, initially appointed by
the Ontario government for up to 1
year. From the first anniversary until
the Sponsors Corporation passes a bylaw dealing with its composition,
CUPE (Ontario) representative will
have 3 votes; AMO’s 2 representatives
have 2 votes each; and all other members have 1 vote each
Two Advisory Committees will be
appointed by the Sponsors Corporation: an 8-member committee for
police/fire/paramedics and a 12-member committee for other members and
employers.
In addition to the Sponsors Corporation, the new OMERS Act will continue the OMERS Board as the OMERS
Administration Corporation. The
Administration Corporation is responsible for investment of funds, plan
administration and services to plan
participants. It will have 14 voting
members, initially appointed by the
Ontario government, for up to 3 years.
Initially, both Boards will have equal
numbers of member and employer
representatives. In the future, the
Sponsors Corporation will determine
the composition of both Boards. The
transitional composition is subject to
the Sponsors Corporation by-laws.
(Changes to Board composition can be
made by Sponsors Corporation by-laws
and require a simple majority for
changes to the Sponsors Corporation
and a two-thirds majority for changes
to the Administration Corporation.)
The new OMERS Act removes the
limit on the OMERS pension formula
which used to be in the Municipal
Act, 2001. Like other registered pension plans, any improvements in the
formula continue to be subject to maximums under the Income Tax Act. Future changes to the pension formula
will require Sponsors Corporation
approval.
The new OMERS Act includes a new
requirement that contribution rates
cannot be reduced, nor changes made,
unless the plan is in a 105% funded
position (assets are at least 5% more
than liabilities). This requirement
does not apply to supplemental plans.
Also, it does not apply to plan changes
that do not increase liabilities by more
than 1%, or those required for legal
compliance.
Under the new OMERS Act, a
supplemental plan must be established
within two years for police officers,
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 51
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Proud Supporters of the
Toronto Professional
Fire Fighters’ Association
Building Fine Communities Across The GTA • (416) 410-0175 • www.rosehavenhomes.com
Thank You for supporting our advertisers!
52
BILL 206 ... Continued from page 51
fire fighters and paramedics. Supplemental pension plans are separatelyfunded, stand-alone registered pension plans that will offer benefits
not available in the current plan.
More about Supplemental Plans
Both the Sponsors Corporation and
Administration Corporation will convene, draft and approve their respective by-laws. After the initial terms,
Sponsors Corporation and Administration Corporation appointments will
be made by the Sponsors themselves,
subject to by-laws passed by the Sponsors Corporation.
Supplemental Plans for public safety
groups would be offered within 24
months, to be bargained locally. Under Bill 206, Supplemental Plans must
be established for those in “public
safety” occupations – police officers,
fire fighters and paramedics. Supplemental Plans are separate, stand-alone
pension plans that would offer benefits not available in the OMERS basic
pension plan, such as early retirement
and a three-year best salary average.
To be eligible for early retirement
factors, members must be within 10
years of normal retirement age. All
supplemental benefits apply to service
accruals after the supplemental benefit is implemented (i.e., all prior service remains under current rules)
unless the past service associated with
the particular benefit is paid for by the
employer and/or member.
The member has the option to pay
for supplemental coverage on all or
part of past service. Although not
required, employers may pay past service costs for supplemental plans (with
the exception of the higher annual accrual rate). The benefits of supplemental plans must be negotiated. Eligible
employers and members would locally
bargain their participation and the
benefits offered. Only one benefit may
be bargained initially. Subsequently,
additional benefits can be bargained
one at a time at three-year intervals.
When debated, confusion existed in
regards to; if paramedics were included for supplemental plans? The new
OMERS Act treats paramedics the
same as police and fire fighters. Because the Act does not change the
terms of the current plan however,
the new Act does not automatically
make paramedics eligible for a Normal
Retirement Age of 60. Under the current plan, NRA 60 is available only to
police officers and fire fighters. A
Sponsors Corporation decision would
be required to amend the plan to extend this benefit to paramedics. Paramedics are still eligible for the other
benefits provided in the police and
fire sector supplemental plan, with
the exception of the ability to retire
early without a penalty when age plus
credited service equals 80. The new
Act clearly states that this benefit is
contingent upon a member having a
Normal Retirement Age of 60.
Only those in supplemental plans
pay for them. Each supplemental plan
will be funded by the contributions
of the employers and employees
who participate in that particular
plan, as well as the investment earnings on those contributions. No assets
of the current plan may be used to
fund any benefits or other liabilities of
a supplemental plan.
The legislation also permits the
Sponsors Corporation to establish
supplemental plans for other OMERS
members.
Supplemental plan benefits for police, firefighters and paramedics
Supplemental benefit
What it provides
Current benefit under primary plan
2.33% pension formula
Lifetime pension plus bridge benefit to
age 65 = up to 2.33% x service x earnings
Lifetime pension plus bridge benefit to age 65 =
2.00% x service x earnings (integrated with CPP)
85 Factor (available to normal
retirement age 65 members)
Retire with unreduced pension if:
age + service = 85 or more
90 Factor for normal retirement age 65 members
80 Factor (available to normal
retirement age 60 members)
Retire with unreduced pension if:
age + service = 80 or more
85 Factor for normal retirement age 60 members
3-year average annual earnings
Pension calculated on average of 3 years
of earnings
Pension calculated on annual average of highest
consecutive 60 months of earnings
4-year average annual earnings
Pension calculated on average of 4 years
of earnings
Pension calculated on annual average of highest
consecutive 60 months of earnings
Notes:
• To be eligible for early retirement factors, members must be within 10 years of normal retirement age.
• All supplemental benefits apply to service accruals after the supplemental benefit is implemented (i.e., all prior service remains under
current rules) unless the past service associated with the particular benefit is paid for by the employer and/or member.
• The member has the option to pay for supplemental coverage on all or part of past service. Although not required, employers may pay past
service costs for supplemental plans (with the exception of the higher annual accrual rate).
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 53
3888
RECENT HAPPENINGS
Congratulations to District 31 B shift for winning the 9th annual
Bruce Ritchie B shift District Challenge. $3,000 was raised for the
Princess Margaret Fire Fighter Cancer Research Fund, bringing the
total raised to $18,300 by the B Shift. Congratulations also to the
other shifts that also held their shift District Challenges.
A fundraiser for Special Olympics Ontario. TPFFA representatives with
members of the 2006 Canadian Olympic Women’s Hockey Gold Medal
Champions. (from L to R) Kevin Ashfield, Frank Ramagnano, Jennifer
Botterill, Janos Csepreghi, Gillian Ferrari, Al Falkner, Cheryl Pounder.
Fire fighters from across the
province formed up in full dress
uniform in Thunder Bay on May
25th to prepare for the march to
St. Paul’s United Church where the
LODD funeral for OPFFA District 7
Vice President Joe Adamkowski was
held. Joe lost his battle with colon
cancer on May 14th after being
diagnosed in June of 2002.
54
Edwin Li is presented with a homemade trophy
and card on behalf of his fellow brothers
and sisters on the T.F.S. by co-worker Al
Booth. Edwin competed in team table tennis
and brought home a silver medal from the
international fire fighter games held in Hong
Kong in February 2006. Congratulations Edwin!
Local 38
88 stew
a
Jamie E
nslen, P rds Rob Hewso
n, Rayan
aul Beam
Labour/M
ne D
es,
anagem
on May
ent retr and Jim Morac ubkov,
eat at th
he atten
1st and
2n
e
d
Scott M
arks, an d. Also picture Hockley Highla a
d Depu
n
d
ds
a
r
e
Jay
ty Chief
Pat McC ne Allen,
abe.
e
provinc
ross the 29th to
c
a
m
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ates fr
May
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ntion.
Over 13 on Collingwoo l OPFFA conve
a
d
u
e
n
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conver
e 9th an
st for th
May 31
John Poirier, Ro
n Seymour, Fran
k Ramagnano, D
Higgins, Neil M
ebbie
cKinnon, and Fi
re Chief Bill St
pose with Chap
ewart
lain Emeritus D
r. Ron Nickle an
wife Sharon afte
d his
r presenting th
em both with gi
Ron’s retiremen
fts at
t party on March
31st.
Scott Marks, Ron Nickle, Keith Hamilton,
Ed Kennedy, and James Coones pose with Ron
MacQueen at his retirement party which was held
on March 9th at Shoeless Joe’s in Scarborough.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 55
a
Salute to our
The following is President
Scott Marks’ address to
the retirees and guests
at the 2006 Local 3888
retirement party.
RETIREES
I
t is a great pleasure to be
here, and on behalf of all
the fellow fire fighters
that have worked with
you, or endured you, whatever the case may be, wish
you the best in your coming
retirement.
Freedom fifty five, early
bird specials – all of those
special entitlements are now
yours to enjoy. You can play
golf, attend movies, vacation
and whatever during the off
times and take advantage of
the cheaper rates.
The one drawback of retirement is that for the most part, it is
accompanied with old age. But, I have
noticed in attending these functions
over the past few years that our
retirees appear to be getting younger
and younger each year.
It is a time in your life that is well
deserved. No more mornings getting
up and dragging yourself to the fire
hall – fighting the traffic and stress of
the working man – you are retired.
Which makes me recall the story of
a retired fire fighter walking along the
beach in Florida and he finds an old
bottle – well jokingly he begins to rub
it thinking it may be a Genie’s bottle.
Well much to his surprise a crusty old
Genie (apparently) also retired makes
his entrance. “Whaddaya want?” says
the Genie, “I’m old, cranky and only
got a few good wishes left in me.”
The fire fighter thinks for a moment
and says, “Y’know, I don’t like boats or
airplanes, but I have always wanted to see
Hawaii – build me a bridge to Hawaii.”
The Genie says, “Whaddaya crazy
or something – y’know how much
steel and concrete that would take,
man I’d be working on that forever –
NO MORE MORNINGS GETTING UP AND DRAGGING
YOURSELF TO THE FIRE HALL – FIGHTING THE TRAFFIC
AND STRESS OF THE WORKING MAN – YOU ARE RETIRED
56
First
Name
THE REAL JOY OF RETIREMENT IS THE
ABANDONMENT OF CARES AND SPENDING
MORE TIME WITH THE SPOUSE AND FAMILY
like, I’m an old Genie, isn’t there
something else I can do for you?”
The retired fire fighter thinks for a
minute and says, “Y’know what there
is something else. I have been married
for over thirty years. And it has been
a great marriage, but occasionally
my wife and I argue and for the life of
me I cannot understand her point of
view – please allow me to understand
my spouse”.
The Genie looks at him for a
moment, shakes his head and says,
“Whaddaya want, 2 lanes or 4 lanes?”
Now many of you will find retired
life a real change – the hustle and
bustle of the fire hall is gone – It’s
time to kick up and enjoy the fruits of
our labour. But, do try to keep up
with your old friends from the station
and from work. And I hope all of
you continue to keep track of the
association sponsored events; the
picnic, Christmas party etc.
There are also great opportunities to
help with our sponsor charities – Doug
Sargeant who runs the toy drive is
always looking for extra help – and
thank god the retirees are there to
maintain this great effort that helps
the kids in this city. In addition, we are
continuing our efforts to stay politically involved and we hope our retirees can be involved and assist in this.
But the real joy of retirement is the
abandonment of cares and spending
more time with the spouse and family.
All the stuff that the fire fighters
are worrying about, 24 hour shift
schedules, promotions, relieving….
For You – Who cares – it’s gone,
it’s over.
But!... You have a new worry – the
extra time with the spouse – she no
longer has you away on night shift, for
those snoring free nights – so you
need to treat her a little special and be
aware that more of something isn’t
always better. Especially when it is
more of you!!
All kidding aside – enjoy your
retirement you have earned it, you
deserve it and I know I speak for
everyone when I say stay healthy
and get your money’s worth from
OMERS.
Surname
Service
YRS
Wayne
Bridger
36
Wayne
Jones
30
John
MacLeod
31
Gary
Wignall
38
Alan
Brend
35
Richard
Bridson
30
John
Laver
30
Robert
Newhook
31
Robert
Alston
36
John
Draper
36
Barry
Henzel
30
David
White
33
William
Koruna
31
Terry
Thompson
31
Peter
Gresser
30
Douglas
Tredway
31
Bruce
Godard
33
William
Waugh
38
Rev. Ron
Nickle
21
Eric
Adams
31
David
Atwell
33
Brian
Balsdon
32
Warren
Chalmers
32
David
Craig
33
Phil
Gosling
36
James
Hall
31
Iain
Kay
32
William
Knaggs
36
Wayne
Krasowski
36
Ronald
MacQueen
35
Philip
Redwood
39
John
Walker
31
Kenny
Beck
32
Kasimir
Brandt
31
John
Langcaster
31
Ross
Wakefield
29
Michael
Cooper
31
Patrick
Coughlan
32
Norman
Jackson
30
Chuck
Talma
17
Alan
Wilk
32
Dennis
Bowles
37
John
Defrancesco
29
Andy
Everingham
39
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 57
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PHsEMAILRPSALES SYMPATICOCA
FIRESOUND “BURNING LOVE” CD
Damien Walsh – Toronto Fire Fighter
F
ire Fighters are often called upon
to bring a variety of unknown
skills and talents to their profession from time to time in order to better serve our community. With this in
mind, in the days after amalgamation,
Chris Burrell of Station 234 began to
consider a project that would bring
firefighters with musical talents together. It was his hope to produce a
high quality musical project in order to
do what firefighters have always done
– raise money for a charitable cause.
A notice was sent out to all the halls
in the city looking for firefighters with
musical talent. Chris recalls, “I was
nervous about who was going to show
up, but I was blown away with the
quality of the response.”
And respond they did – 8 drummers, 8 guitar players, 3 bass players,
9 lead singers, a couple of keyboard
players, and a horn section. Every one
of these musicians is an active firefighter working in stations across the city.
But to pull this all together would
require a great band leader, organizer,
musician, producer, engineer, administrator, promoter, and a couple of
other things that Chris hadn’t thought
of yet. He was up to the task however.
s
s
e
c
c
u
S
n
i
A Smok ’
He started drumming at age 11, obtained a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Toronto,
and built his own recording studio
which has grown substantially over
the past 20 years.
The theme of the project would be
FIRE songs. Good quality songs that
would be fun to perform and had some
kind of reference to fire, heat, or
smoke in them.
He began laying the groundwork in
1999, lining up the musicians in late
2003, and after hundreds of hours of
recording and mixing, the project was
completed in the fall of 2005.
Then, for the task of putting it all
together in a professional looking
package, Chris drew on the talents of
Toronto Fire Services information
section for the artwork to complete
the project.
Support for the project came from
all areas within Toronto Fire Services,
from Administration to our Association and MD Canada.
An initial pressing of 2000 copies
was quickly snapped up by curious coworkers and proud family members.
In November of 2005, a CD launch
party was held at the Birchmount
Country Bar in Scarborough. The emphasis was to get the media out to create some buzz around the project and
introduce the band in a live setting. To
a capacity crowd, the Firesound band
took the stage and performed all the
songs from the CD and several other
crowd favourites. The night was a
huge success with many more copies
of the CD sold and some great media
coverage.
It would seem there is a bright
future for the band as there are
plans to play several future events
and continue to raise money and
awareness for MD. So far over fifteen
thousand dollars has been raised for
MD and another batch of CD’s will
soon be in production.
The success of the Burning Love CD
has come about through the unflagging determination in completing this
project by Chris and the dedicated
group of musical firefighters who lent
their talents and time to a worthy
cause as firefighters always do. Chris
and the band would like to thank all
those who have supported the Firesound CD from start to finish as they
look forward to another successful
year ahead.
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 59
2006 UPCOMING EVENTS
Aug.
Sept.
LOCATION
Monday, July 3, 2006
Operation Recruit Class Start
TFS Fire Academy
Friday, July 7, 2006, 1200 HRS
Recruit Swearing in
TFS Fire Academy
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Local 3888 Picnic
White Water Kingdom
August 13 - 19, 2006
Camp Bucko
Minden
Thursday, August 24, 2006
CNE TFS DAY
Toronto, Ontario
August 27 - Sept 1, 2006
IAFF Convention
Toronto, Ontario
Wednesday, September 10,
2006 @ 1100 HRS
Candian Fallen FF Memorial
Ottawa, Ontario
September 13 - 17, 2006
Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial
Colorado Springs, CA
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Veteran’s Memorial Unveiling
Queens Park, Toronto
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Day Meeting 1000 HRS
3888 General Union Meeting
RCL Br.527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.
Wednesday, September 20,
2006 Night Meeting 1900 HRS
3888 General Union Meeting
RCL Br.527 948 Sheppard Ave. W.
Annual “Toddle for Tots”
Toronto Zoo
Saturday, September 30, 2006
(0900 HRS to 1500 HRS)
Buying a home can be an adventure. Meet your guide.
Get in touch with Mobile Mortgage Specialist Kelly Guglick at
(647)402-4663/kelly.guglick@rbc.com to arrange an appointment
when and where you want.
®
Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks
of Royal Bank of Canada. All personal lending products provided by Royal Bank of Canada and
are subject to its standard lending criteria.
60
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
July
EVENT
*DATES AND TIMES
DATE*
Paul Beames – Toronto Fire Fighter
2006
T
Toddle For T ts Event
oronto’s Ronald McDonald House
is Proud to work with the Toronto
Professional Fire Fighters’ Association
It takes a village to raise a child …
and that is an adage that various
community groups have taken to
heart. One great example would be
the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’
Association.
The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association has been long standing supporters of the House. Last
Christmas Day they brought cheer to
the families by stopping by for a visit.
They help build awareness for Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House and raise
funds through a variety of means like
organizing their fundraiser “Moose on
a Mission” and delighting children at
Toddle for Tots with their fire trucks.
They are also proud participants in
our Adopt-a-Room Program. Their
involvement with TRMH over the
years has been wonderfully supportive
and always loved by the children.
We look forward to working with
the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’
Association at the 2006 Annual
Toddle for Tots, Presented by Subaru
Canada, Inc., on Saturday September
30th, 2006 at the Toronto Zoo. Toddle
for Tots is truly the story of “Kids
Helping Kids.” Children 12 and
under, along with their families,
spend an amazing day exploring at
the Toronto Zoo and will also get
to watch a special performance by
special guests Robert Munsch,
Michael Martchenko and Dan the
Music Man. For more information,
and to register online (beginning July
1st) visit www.rmhtoronto.org.
On behalf of the children and
families who call Toronto’s Ronald McDonald House their “home away from
home”, a sincere and heartfelt THANK
YOU to our friends at the Toronto
Professional Fire Fighters’ Association.
Together, we are making a difference!
If you are available to volunteer and
help out at this year’s event please
contact Paul Beames at:
beames@torontofirefighters.org.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
This August, Fire Fighters from across North America will converge on our city as we host
the 48th Biennial International Association of Fire Fighters Convention.
Volunteers are required each day. Check your calendar, pick a day or two and sign up!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to assist our Association in ensuring that this
convention is an overwhelming success.
Visit our website www.iafftoronto2006.com for more
information and to sign up as a volunteer.
Mark McKinnon, L3888 Convention Committee Chair, Station 113 “C” Platoon
Rick Gallo, Volunteer Coordinator, Station 241 “B” Platoon
AUGUST 25 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2006
SUMMER 2006 | FIRE WATCH 61
ADVERTISERS INDEX
427 Auto Collision................... 22
Fastway Couriers..................... 27
Maximum Car Detailing ......... 40
Alarm Force ............................ 12
Firkin Hospitality Group ......... 30
Mazda-Walsh ............................. 7
Scarborough Lexus Toyota ...... 46
AlphaHealth ............................ 48
Formula Honda ........................ 26
Minto Management................. 50
Shaklee ................................... 37
Alta Nissan .............................. 52
Frontline Automotive ................ 6
Molson Grand Prix .................. 21
Sherway Nissan ....................... 22
Appliance Canada .....................41
Funeral Sanitation Services ..... 48
Monster Mortgages ................. 34
Solutions 2 Health ................... 48
Bayshore Home Health ............ 40
George Brown College ............ 24
Multi Menu ............................. 44
Talk of the Town Travel ........... 58
Bodnaruk & Capone ................ 18
Happy Days House Boats ......... 30
New Roads National Leasing ... 44
Cars4FireFighters.com .............. 4
Harding Fire Protection............. 7
North City ...... Inside Back Cover
The Fire Department Employees
Credit Union Limited ................ 2
Cedarbrae Volkswagen ............ 40
Herbal Magic........................... 48
Ontario Trade Academy ........... 18
Century 21 BJ Roth.................. 44
Ho-Lee Chow............................. 6
Owasco Volkswagen Inc .......... 50
Century 21 Heritage Group ..... 22
Imaging Technologies Ltd........ 28
Paramed Home Health ............. 26
Century 21 Percy Fulton ......... 20
Intelligarde International Inc. . 20
Pharma Medica Research ........ 18
Tri-Cell Communications
(Rogers Wireless)..................... 46
Credit Menders ....................... 30
Jack M. Straitman ................... 40
Physio FX ................................ 18
Triple A Movers Ltd ................. 30
Domenic’s Fish Market............ 58
Jiffy Lube ......Outside Back Cover
Pinkofskys ................................16
Durham Orthapedic .................. 7
Ken Weinberg Phd. ................. 42
PM Toront Sports Bar & Grill ... 37
Tyrone Crawford,
Barrister, Solicitor & Notary .... 58
East Side Mario’s ..................... 52
Keybase Financial Group ......... 26
Ragged Point Sports ................ 58
Visiting Angels .......................... 7
Ecclestone, Hamer, Poisson,
Neuwald & Freeman................ 48
KMB Granite ........................... 38
Remax, Bev McLean ................ 58
Wegz Stadium Bar ................... 28
Kwik Curb Edgemaster ............ 38
Remax, Spirit Inc..................... 43
Westwind Partners Inc .............. 7
Maple Toyota ........................... 43
Rosehaven Homes.................... 52
Masters Plumbing ................... 28
Rotovac...................................... 6
Wireless Personal Communications
(Bell World) ............................. 36
Elephant & Castle .................... 26
Evans Ford ...............................16
Ezdivorce.ca ............................ 37
Royal Bank Mortgages ............. 60
Thru Line Muffler ................... 60
Toronto Harbour...................... 36
Trackers Boat Centres ............... 8
Yonge Lawrence Toyota ........... 12
CLASSIFIEDS
VACATION RENTAL: Barbados
Beach House Fully Furnished, 3
Bedrooms US $70/night Contact
jmartineau@sunbeach.net or 1 (246)
421-7455 After 8:00PM
RUGBY PLAYERS WANTED: Play
Emergency Services Rugby with your
colleagues from fire, police and EMS
at Markham Rugby Club. We can
offer skill levels from novice to senior
league. Clubhouse and fields conveniently situated at Kennedy Rd and
highway 7 in Unionville. Men’s,
Women’s, >35 old boys and junior
teams. Check us out for contact details at markhamrugbyclub.com or call
Colin Campbell @ (905) 471-4562
TUPPERWARE: Call me if you want
to buy it, need warranty service,
want to get it FREE! Call Tracy Lamb,
Cell: (416) 433-1056 Home: (905)
864-3285 tracey03@cogeco.ca
PIANO FOR SALE:
‘Aeolian’ upright piano, pecan
wood – w/bench. 36” tall and 56”
long – good condition. Originally
purchased at Robert Lowery. Asking
$1,500. If interested pls. contact
Susan Hope @ (416) 267-5367 or
susan.hope@jwt.com.
Classified Advertising in the Toronto Fire Watch Magazine
Name:
Work Phone:
Division:
Home Phone:
Ad (20 words max – please print clearly):
# of issues:
Signature:
Payment: Cheque:
Credit Card #
Price: $25/issue + GST=
Ads run one issue free of charge. Home phone or pager numbers will be used. Ads MUST be submitted in writing. Phoned ads are not accepted. Submit
before the second Tuesday of the month. Send to Toronto Fire Watch, Box 157, 253 College St., Toronto ON M5T1R5 or email: nancyp@xentel.com
62
who’s protecting you?
● Canada's largest Auto and
Home Insurance Program
for Firefighters.
● Live person-to-person
communication.
● Staff return calls promptly
and properly explain
coverages.
● Claims counselling to
protect your good
insurance record.
S erving insurance needs of
firefighters since 1981
2175 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 307,
Willowdale, Ontario M2J 1W8
Telephone: (416) 225-6000 Toll Free 1-888-892-7176
U M M E R 2 0www.northcity.ca/fire
0 6 | FI R E WAT CH
Fax: (416)S225-6890
20% OFF
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,UBESTORECALL*)&&9ORGOTOWWWJIFFYLUBECOM
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Service® are registered trademarks of Jiffy Lube International, Inc. ©2006 Jiffy Lube
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Expires: 09/ 30/ 06
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Ask about Jiffy Lube preventive maintenance services.
1349 Burnhamthorpe Rd E, Mississauga, ON, 905-624-9724
5706 Hwy #7, Markham, ON, 905-294-5000
8332 Kennedy Rd, Markham, ON, 905-415-0756
2525 Thomas St, Mississauga, ON, 905-821-1569
16635 Yonge St, Newmarket, ON, 905-898-6307
1221 Guelph Line, Burlington, ON, 905-319-0058
645 Third Line, Oakville, ON, 905-847-5313
3020 Unity Dr, Mississauga, ON, 905-607-8143
4230 Dundas Street W, Etobicoke, ON, 416-233-7093
23 Taunton Road West, Oshawa, ON, 905-728-7108
516 Brock St N, Whitby, ON, 905-666-9448