The City of Greater Sudbury hired 31 volunteer firefighters last year, three of whom resigned before starting certification training, leaving 28 recruits to proceed.
This, according to a report by Deputy Chief Nathan Melin which was tabled March 2 in advance of the March 10 city council meeting at which it’s slated to be discussed.
The three last-minute dropouts represent a process which sheds applicants every step of the way as personal circumstances and qualifications hamper their ability to proceed.
A total of 229 applications entered last year’s recruitment process, of whom 115 were disqualified right off the bat for not residing in a volunteer district.
There were 80 people who proceeded to physical testing, of whom 77 met health and safety benchmarks as set by the National Fire Protection Association, and 45 were invited to the interview stage.
Those applying at stations with lower volunteer firefighter complements were prioritized, and interviews were conducted over the course of two weeks using in-person and virtual formats.
Of the 45 who proceeded to this stage, 31 were hired, of whom three dropped out, leaving the 28 recruits to continue into certification training.
By comparison, positions were offered to 42 volunteer firefighter recruits in 2023, followed by 39 in 2024.
Despite recent years’ additions, the total number of volunteer firefighters throughout volunteer stations is currently 204, which echoes a slump in recent years which has hovered around the 200 mark, an approximately 40-per-cent drop from a peak of 339 recorded in 2012.
With a goal of at least 15 members to meet the National Fire Underwriters Survey for catchment areas to be considered “protected” for insurance purposes, the following are the city’s current total number of volunteer firefighters per station:
- Waters: 31
- Lively: 14
- Whitefish: 10
- Azilda: 17
- Chelmsford: 25
- Dowling: 6
- Levack: 5
- Val Therese: 20
- Hanmer: 13
- Capreol: 15
- Garson: 19
- Skead: 11
- Coniston: 8
- Wahnapitae: 10
(Some of these stations are slated to be amalgamated into larger hub stations as part of the city’s $164.6-million emergency services revitalization plan. A new Lively station will consolidate Waters, Lively and the already closed Copper Cliff station, a new Wahnapitae station will consolidate Wahnapitae and Coniston.
Fire Services divided last year’s 28 proceeding recruits into two training cohorts “to accommodate the strong pool of qualified candidates and avoid turning away suitable applicants,” according to Melin’s report, with training commencing in September 2025 and February 2026, the second of which concluding with a mandatory testing day on June 6.
The 28 candidates include one each at stations in Levack, Wahnapitae, Hanmer and Skead, two each in Dowling, Coniston, Waters, Val Therese and Garson, three each in Lively, Capreol and Chelmsford, and five in Azilda.
The city has adopted a defined recruitment window, which Melin’s report said supports “A more streamlined, efficient intake and allowed staff to focus their resources where they are most impactful.”
Last year’s recruitment window was March 1 to April 15, and this year’s window also closes April 15. Applications are no longer accepted year-round.
The city is hosting four open houses for people to learn more about volunteer firefighting, all of which take place from 5:30-7 p.m., including:
- March 25: Garson station (206 Church St.)
- March 26: Val Therese Station (4200 Municipal Road 80)
- April 1: Waters Station (25 Black Lake Rd.)
- April 2: Azilda Station (239 Montée Principale)
In addition to certain time commitments for training and call-outs, some basic qualifications include that applicants are 18 years of age or older, have completed Grade 12, possess a valid G driver’s licence with a good driving record. There are some additional requirements upon selection, including obtaining a Standard First Aid/Level C CPR certificate and a Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check.
Meanwhile, Fire Services Chief Rob Grimwood pledged to bake more flexibility into volunteer firefighter scheduling as one of his top priorities upon entering the role late last year.
“We have to be respectful of the time demands of volunteer firefighters,” Grimwood told Sudbury.com in December, adding that although provincially mandated training requirements are “necessary and required” due to firefighting being a “high-risk job,” the city needs to allow greater flexibility when it comes to scheduling.
The city needs to ensure the training schedule is reasonable for someone doing this “over and above a regular job, and we’re going to build some flexibility into that,” Grimwood said, adding that these discussions are still in the “early days.”
When it comes to flexibility, Melin’s latest report cites the allowance of two training cohorts last year instead of just one and allowing two date options for each training session.
Melin’s report has been tabled for the March 10 city council meeting, which can be viewed in-person at the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda or livestreamed by clicking here. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
For more on volunteer firefighting in Greater Sudbury, click here.