While minister Graydon Smith made his forest fire funding announcement, firefighters belonging to the Ontario Public Service Union were outside, because they weren’t invited in.
Fire crew technician Kevin Wallingford says they also went better pay so they don’t lose workers to mining, forestry and hydro.
Wallingford says the firefighters are paid about half as much as those industries pay, and the force at the Timmins base this year dwindled from 40 people to nine.
They also want improved health care benefits… considering they inhale smoke non-stop.
“We inhale those carcinogens and we do not get regular medical testing,” Wallingford says..”So any cancerous or heart disease that we may incur doing this position, from infection from breathing in the smoke, it goes undetected.”
Minister Smith told reporters those issues are the purview of the treasury board, but the fund he announced does include better pay.
Here’s more from Wallingford and OPSEU regional vice-president Tara Maszczakiewicz:
