Both Chatham-Kent (CK) Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Case and Assistant Chief Dan Parent have been formally condemned by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).
The decision was made at the 58th IAFF Convention, where over 2,000 delegates unanimously approved a resolution censuring the two CK fire officials.
According to the IAFF, a censure resolution represents one of the union's strongest public rebukes of fire service leadership.
"Chatham-Kent firefighters have tried repeatedly to work with Chief Case and Assistant Chief Parent to address the challenges facing their members and the community they serve. But good-faith efforts have been resisted time and again," said IAFF 13th District Vice President Fred LeBlanc. "The actions of the Chief and Assistant Chief have left firefighters with no choice but to ensure the public and elected leaders know they have lost confidence in the department’s leadership."
The resolution comes several months after 97 per cent of CK IAFF Local 486 members voted that they had "no confidence" in Case's leadership, and 99 per cent said they had also lost confidence in Parent.
Speaking on behalf of the municipality, Chief Administrative Officer Michael Duben said CK remains confident in the leadership of the CK Fire and Rescue Services.
"We are disappointed that the Professional Firefighters Association would choose to take this approach," Duben continued. "Labour-management disagreements are very common within this type of organization, and unionized employees make up just 19% of our Fire and Rescue Services staff."
He added that the municipality is currently conducting collective agreement negotiations with the union and the municipality is still committed to addressing concerns in a respectful and constructive manner.
The Local 486 Union filed a complaint with the Ontario Ministry of Labour back in March, after local firefighters raised concerns for years about inadequate training and equipment, specifically for swift-water rescues. According to the IAFF, union members have allegedly faced further retaliation from department leadership since filing the complaint.
Duben reports that although the complaint was filed, the Ministry of Labour has not issued any orders against the municipality concerning the complaint.
"Residents should be assured that CK Fire and Rescue Services continue to operate effectively and that emergency response services remain uninterrupted," Duben added.
CK News Today has reached out to CK Fire and Rescue for comment and will provide updates when more information is available.
The IAFF says there are 15 ongoing grievances challenging the CK department's conduct.
