Fire chief wasn’t told about PM visit

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/10/2017 (2375 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a revelation at last week’s labour arbitration hearing between the city’s ambulance paramedics union and city hall that raised eyebrows and raised the question of who, if anyone, is in charge of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS).

Troy Reidy, vice president of Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) Local 911 and the union’s only witness, had been grousing about the close relationship Fire Paramedic Chief John Lane seems to have with rival union leader Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg (UFFW). Reidy cited a July 28 visit by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the city’s busiest fire station, on Osborne Street, complaining that paramedics hadn’t been invited to join the firefighters.

When Lane took the stand on Thursday afternoon, city lawyer John Jacobs asked him about Trudeau’s visit. To the surprise of many, including arbitrator Arne Peltz, Lane said Forrest had organized the visit without getting prior approval from Lane or any other senior WFPS manager.

Lane said he found out about it only after the fact, in a text message from Forrest.

Peltz, a veteran labour arbitrator, interrupted Lane’s testimony to make sure he understood what Lane had said: a visit by the prime minister to the city’s busiest fire station had been arranged by the president of the firefighters union, without the prior knowledge or consent of the chief or any other senior member of the chief’s management team.

Forrest and the firefighters appeared to be quite proud of the PM’s visit. According to a post on the UFFW website, Trudeau, his young daughter Ella and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr were given a tour of the station, and then the firefighters talked to Trudeau and Carr about their role as firefighters and paramedics. Later, the guests were treated to a homemade lunch at the station, courtesy of the firefighters.

There were lots of photos of everyone involved.

The prime minister doesn’t just drop in unannounced. Security is tight. The RCMP usually sends a canine unit to sniff for bombs ahead of the prime minister’s visit. The security team wants to know the names of the people who are going to be there.

And the Osborne fire station is the city’s busiest. The crews can be called out at any time. In fact, according to the UFFW website, the station crew had already responded to a blaze on Sherbrook Street earlier that morning.

But for the entire time Trudeau, his daughter, Carr and the security detail were at the station, there were no calls. Lucky for them.

Or, as it was suggested, Forrest pulled the entire station — crew and apparatus — out of service for Trudeau’s visit without management’s knowledge or approval. As if he owned it.

Forrest told the Free Press the city’s fire halls have an “open door” policy and visitors — even the prime minister — are welcome at any time.

“The Prime Minister’s visit was an informal drop by the fire hall like any person can do in Winnipeg,” Forrest said in an email. “We have an open door policy where anyone during the day can drop by the fire hall. Many people visit fire halls without the knowledge of the Chief.”

It seems Forrest was underplaying his role in the July 28 event. The post on the UFFW website said the visit was planned, there were firefighter union executives on hand and Forrest took credit for hosting the event: “On Friday July 28th, a visit was organized for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet our crew at 4 station… It was an honour to host the sitting Prime Minister at the hall.”

This incident may not factor into the central dispute surrounding the union’s grievance against city hall — the city’s failure to take any action after the respectful workplace complaint filed by the 156 paramedics against Lane had been upheld.

But it certainly makes clear the familiarity Forrest has with Lane and his senior management team that he can confidently take the city’s busiest fire station out of service without fear of consequences.

And it’s certain to be the subject of conversations between Lane and Doug McNeil, the city’s chief administrative officer. Perhaps even the councillors on the protection committee, which oversees the WFPS, might have a few questions for Lane themselves the next time he is required to make a report to them.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca