TORONTO, April 29,
2024 /CNW/ - Ontario's forest firefighters will soon have
the same presumptive WSIB coverage that urban firefighters do. Like
urban firefighters, forest firefighters are at a higher risk of
cancer, heart disease and heart injuries, and post-traumatic stress
disorder. While certain diagnoses for urban firefighters are
presumed to be work related, forest firefighters didn't have
automatic recognition for WSIB.
"For years, forest firefighters have fought to be recognized and
included in legislation which recognizes our sacrifice," said
OPSEU/SEFPO Local 703 Vice-President, Noah
Freedman. "Without the relentless determination of forest
fire workers from across the province of Ontario, we would not be receiving this news
today. The fight is not over and there is still work to do to. But
for all those who have sacrificed their health and their lives, and
those who continue to, we can at least celebrate the promise of
change. Now it's up to this government to implement this change
immediately."
Experienced forest firefighters are leaving Ontario's wildland firefighting program for
higher paying jobs elsewhere. The insultingly low wage the
Ontario government offers doesn't
reflect the high-risk nature of this job. Forest firefighters spend
16-hour days, week after week isolated from loved ones, inhaling
carcinogenic emissions to keep Ontario residents and communities safe.
The Ford government is patting themselves on the back for high
recruitment numbers and their one-time retention bonus of
$5000 that only goes to some
forest firefighters. But as forest firefighters have been saying
for years now, we need experienced workers to lead crews. In the
past, crews had a combined experience of 100 years; now they have a
combined experience of five years. Safety is developed through
situational awareness – you learn the job by doing the job. But
turnover is high because people are not adequately compensated for
the dangerous nature of the job. This puts workers who choose to
return at higher risk. It's unacceptable.
Forest firefighters have been calling for reclassification –
among other solutions to the retention crisis – for years. They've
met with Minister Smith to raise their concerns, but this
government has failed to take action. Ontario was down 50 crews last year and the
effects of that were felt all over the province with runaway fires
and smoke blanketing our cities. The Ford government needs to act
quickly before their inaction proves fatal.
"The WSIB coverage change is an important step to recognizing
the dangerous work that forest firefighters do. But to ensure
people of Ontario are not also
unnecessarily exposed to smoke this coming summer, we urgently need
to address the retention crisis in AFFES by increasing wages,"
added Hornick. "This government's own findings indicate that this
year's wildfire season is shaping up to be more dangerous than last
year's record-breaking season and yet the Ford government refuses
to reclassify workers to address the crisis. They would rather
gamble with our safety than pay forest firefighters a
fair wage that reflects the risks they take."
SOURCE Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO)