The Halifax Professional Fire Fighter Union has reported that several fire stations across the region are currently without staff on duty due to mandatory training for firefighters. On May 22, 2025, the president of the union, Brendan Meagher, disclosed in a CityNews interview that there are 10 fire trucks out of service throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality, which stretches from Sheet Harbour to Tantallon.

Only three fire stations in the municipality maintain more than one truck per station. As a result, the majority of the 10 out-of-service trucks belong to stations that possess only a single apparatus. Meagher noted that Highfield Park is the exception, where three apparatus—an engine, an aerial unit, and an attack unit—are all engaged in a training exercise focused on hazardous materials response.

In the event of an emergency, other nearby fire stations can respond; however, this practice might strain the resources allocated for each community, thereby increasing response times for other emergency situations, according to the union. Bedford’s fire station can deploy two engines, but only one is currently training. Other stations, such as Upper Sackville, Cowie Hill, Clayton Park, North End, Woodside, and Fall River, each have only one truck, which is also out of service.

Meagher emphasized that around 40 out of the minimum 101 firefighters are engaged in training on May 22, meaning approximately one-third of the firefighters are unavailable for duty. The union is not opposed to training, highlighting its importance in ensuring teams are well-prepared. However, there has been an ongoing negotiation with the city to implement “straight overtime” to allow district chiefs, who oversee station coverage, to backfill teams without affecting response times.

Meagher expressed concern that management has opted to save costs rather than allow for backfilling of the stations with on-duty firefighters. “We’ve asked them for years now to do this, and they keep rolling the dice,” he stated. In emergencies, district chiefs would have to pull crews from training, which can lead to significant delays. The goal is to have crews respond with 14 firefighters within 11 minutes for 90 percent of calls; currently, they are only achieving this standard about 50 percent of the time.

While it is typical for multiple teams to train simultaneously, having 10 trucks out of service is deemed highly unusual by the union. Meagher noted, “The main concern is not even necessarily that 10 stations are doing training all together. It’s the fact that there is no backfilling at those stations to cover for those people. We think it can be done much more responsibly. We think our employer should be calling in off-duty personnel to staff trucks in these stations that are engaged in training.”

CityNews Halifax reached out to the District Chiefs on duty but did not receive a response before publication.