Greater Sudbury Fire Services’ ladder truck No. 1 is back in service after being out of rotation for the past several months.
Initially pulled due to mechanical issues in March, a subsequent Ministry of Labour order flagged training shortcomings which prevented firefighters from using the apparatus even after it was repaired.
During the weekend, Sudbury Professional Fire Fighters (the full-time firefighter union) posted on social media that ladder truck No. 1 was back in service.
“Our firefighters rely on this apparatus to safely and effectively protect our community — whether it’s reaching upper floors, providing elevated rescue, or supporting fire suppression operations,” they posted.
“Having Ladder 1 back and fully operational ensures we can continue to serve the residents of Greater Sudbury with the high level of professionalism and readiness they deserve.”
Sudbury.com met with Greater Sudbury’s new chief of Fire Services, Rob Grimwood, on Monday, who said the truck is back in rotation because staff are now fully trained on it.
“Our training division developed a really comprehensive training program,” he told Sudbury.com. “We’ve delivered that training, we have qualified operators on each of the four platoons at Station 1, the truck is mechanically sound and we’re happy to have it back in service.”
Ladder truck No. 1, built in 2021, has a reach of 100 feet and includes a platform at its end which allows firefighters access to incidents at a high angle, as well as the ability to rescue people from structures.
At 100 feet, it can access a height of approximately six to seven storeys.
Although he was not immediately available on Monday, Sudbury Professional Firefighters Association president Mike Squarzolo told Sudbury.com in August that the apparatus being out of service meant they were unable to do “a boatload of things.”
Between rescue capabilities at heights of up to 100 feet, roof ventilation and high-angle water attacks, Squarzolo described various operations as being “pretty much compromised” when the truck is out of service. A more than 20-year-old 75-foot ladder truck was stationed in Azilda at the time, but was not being used as a front-line apparatus.
Although training shortcomings which led to various Ministry of Labour orders earlier this year (including those related to the ladder truck) predate his Oct. 27 start date, Grimwood said that the organization was far along “in the process of resolving them.”
In addition to the ladder truck, Ministry of Labour orders centered on:
- Personal protective equipment care and maintenance, involving formal inspection schedules in place, improving procedures to control contamination, and setting clear rules for when gear must be replaced.
- “The employer is not taking every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to minimize or prevent exposure of workers (firefighters) to contaminants at various fire events during knockdown, overhaul, and investigations, relating to the proper use, care and storage of personal protective equipment.”
- Respiratory protection, ensuring proper fit-testing, keeping maintenance records, and confirming that all staff are trained to use self-contained breathing apparatus.
- “Workers have not been provided with adequate training and instruction on the maintenance, proper fitting, cleaning, and disinfecting of provided respirators for this workplace.”
- Decontamination procedures, which includes introducing standardized cleaning steps after incidents and improving station hygiene to reduce exposure to cancer-causing substances.
“In some cases, it’s training that’s been delivered and we’re just waiting for the ministry to come in and verify, but we’re very close to resolving the orders,” Grimwood told Sudbury.com, adding that he is unable to offer a timeline.
“In some cases, it’s as simple as catching seven of the eight people assigned to this station, one person’s on vacation, so it’s tough to commit to a timeline.”
Training to address shortcomings in decontamination procedures is being done at the downtown station this week, he said, after which it’ll roll out at other career and volunteer stations throughout the city.
Greater Sudbury Fire Services is also advocating for the hiring of two mechanical officers during this week’s 2026-27 budget deliberations. Grimwood said they serve as “a jack of many trades,’ and take care of such things as respiratory protection programs, flow testing, minor repair and other equipment concerns. Among other things, Grimwood told city council members that the officers would help fulfill Ministry of Labour orders.
Pledging to address concerns earlier on, Grimwood told Sudbury.com that Ministry of Labour orders are preventable.
“It’s all about relationships, working in close collaboration with the joint health and safety committees,” he said. “When you work in lock-step in true partnership with the committees, generally things will not get this far.”
These internal committees review training needs and requirements with management before it hits the ministry level, Grimwood said, adding that it’s at the local level where concerns should be tackled quickly.
“When you’re communicating on a frequent basis with your internal stakeholders and you’re absolutely committed to the right outcome and you’re working closely with them, then only good things happen,” he said.
Health, safety and wellness joins training and certification and making work process efficiencies as Grimwood’s key initial priorities as chief. Sudbury.com is writing a more in-depth introductory story on Grimwood, to be published soon.
Reluctant communications
The City of Greater Sudbury has been unreceptive to sharing information about the ladder truck situation in recent months.
On Aug. 1, city spokesperson Alyssa Lashbrook told Sudbury.com without explanation that they were “not doing interviews for the ladder truck at this time.” Communications staff declined a subsequent interview request on Ministry of Labour orders in September.
We only learned that the city firefighters were without access to a ladder truck because we received an anonymous tip approximately a month after it was taken out of service. The same applies to us learning about the training gaps flagged by Ministry of Labour orders, and we only learned that the truck was back in service because the union posted about it on social media.