St. Albert Fire Services (SAFS) says a current decline of eligible candidates means they'll need to start recruiting advanced care paramedics who, after city-paid for training, will be able to work as firefighters in the city's integrated fire services system.
"Integrated fire services are experiencing a decline in the number of suitable candidates available to fulfill recruitment needs," SAFS fire chief Everett Cooke wrote in response to a budget information request submitted by Coun. Ken MacKay on Nov. 2.
"With a focus on hiring advanced care paramedics, current recruitment practices do not require applicants to be trained firefighters. To accommodate this unexpected need, (SAFS) is required to provide additional instruction, which is over and above existing training programs to ensure the success of each recruit," Cooke stated.
MacKay's inquiry was regarding a business case included in the proposed 2023 budget that requests $22,000 to provide four potential new recruits with standard firefighting training.
"Included in these costs is the additional rental of live fire training facilities, equipment and proctors (or) evaluators. $5,500 a student is being requested to address these additional costs. The cost of (National Fire Protection Association) firefighter training at a recognized fire school ranges between $12,000 to $15,000," Cooke said.
“Industry trends over recent years demonstrate a decline in suitable candidates that carry both firefighting and medical certifications," the business case says.
During a council meeting on Nov. 7, Cooke told council that advanced care paramedics will be only be hired on the condition that they pass the National Fire Protection Association's standard fitness exam.
The four new recruits the city is looking to hire in 2023 are part of the gradual hiring process SAFS is doing in preparation for the opening of Fire Hall No. 4 in 2025. The new fire hall will be located in the city's North end and the required land to build the fire hall on was purchased earlier this year.
The Gazette's questions regarding just how drastic the decline in eligible candidates has been were directed to Mayor Cathy Heron, who was unable to provide an answer during an interview on Nov. 14.
In an email, Medicine Hat fire chief Brian Stauth said SAFS's recruitment process is "quite typical of integrated fire and EMS services."
"It’s hard to find folks with both fire and EMS certification that want to change employers, or to find young folks with both certifications. Depending on how collective agreements are structured, a person may have to take a drop in pay and less vacation with the new employer, so a good option is to hire advanced care paramedic’s and train them in the fire discipline," Stauth said.
Paramedic shortage
SAFS's need to recruit advanced care paramedics to work as part of the city's integrated fire services system is coming at a time when the province is reportedly facing a severe shortage of paramedics.
In July, The Gazette, as well as CityNews Edmonton, reported that the shortage of paramedics "reached a new level of desperation" when Alberta Health Services (AHS) data showed that ambulances from areas surrounding Edmonton, like St. Albert, were responding to more calls in Edmonton than in their own communities.
In an interview, Mayor Heron said she wasn't concerned about the possible struggle to recruit paramedics as she's heard first-hand that working for an integrated services system like St. Albert's is really "attractive," as the volume of calls for fire services are far fewer than in cities like Edmonton.
"It's just a total break from the stress of being a paramedic," Heron said.
"They're super happy to be both [a paramedic and a firefighter] because what happens is you spend a week on an ambulance, or whatever your time is, and you get tired and you get stressed — it's difficult to see some of the things they see — and then they sort of almost get a week off going on the fire truck."
During the Nov. 7 council meeting, Cooke also said that the decision to gradually and preemptively hire staff for the new fire hall was because hiring all at once just wouldn't be possible due to the lack of qualified candidates available.
The Gazette contacted the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the union that represents paramedics in Alberta, for an update on how the paramedic shortage is affecting the province, and to see if the union had any concerns about municipalities recruiting paramedics and whether or not that could exacerbate the problem, but did not receive a response.
