More firefighters needed, union tells Terrace council

The City of Terrace needs to double the number of firefighters it has on duty at any one time to four, the president of the firefighters’ union has told city [...]

More firefighters needed, union tells Terrace council Published 9:24 am Friday, July 17, 2026 The City of Terrace needs to double the number of firefighters it has on duty at any one time to four, the president of the firefighters’ union has told city council. Speaking at the July 13, 2026 council meeting, Jeff Minhinnick said the current staffing level of two firefighters on duty at any one time is inadequate to meet accepted response and safety standards.

“Fire conditions can double every 30 seconds so even in a minute, you can see quite a bit of fire growth,” he said. “Delays in response or actions increase the risk to occupants, to firefighters and to property loss.” While two firefighters may be the first on scene at a fire, they cannot enter a building because there also needs to be one firefighter outside in case a rescue is needed and one firefighter to be the pump operator, Minhinnick added.

“The issue is not whether our firefighters want to take action. The issue is whether there’s enough trained personnel present to perform an action safely, effectively and legally within WorkSafe BC requirements,” he said. Statistics presented by Minhinnick indicate the fire department can get two firefighters to nearly half of the city’s roads within four minutes of travel, a coverage area that would increase and with a faster response if there were more firefighters on duty.

As of now, off-duty firefighters are called in as required. Minhinnick also referred to the May 21, 2026 fire that destroyed the bowling alley, a building immediately beside the firehall, as an example of current response limitations. “Once they were dispatched and got on scene, it was another five minutes before the second engine was on scene.

So that’s us coming in from off duty, from home in bed, to arrive at the firehall, get our gear on, get into the truck and get next door to the bowling alley,” he said. “So that’s another window of time that they could have made entry into that building that they didn’t.” Minnhinnick said that adding firefighters comes with an additional cost.

“I think when most people call 911 they think a whole crew of people is coming to help them,” he said. “You know, I worry about a day that one of our members or two of our members are having to stand outside and watch as the fire gets worse and not being able to do anything. That’s an impossible situation for any first responder and firefighter.”

In response, councillor Brian Downie said that while council may agree with Minhinnick, the issue was affordability at a time when council has been increasing property taxes. Mayor Sean Bujtas picked up on Downie’s theme, saying that the city needs to find more revenue. “Quite frankly, industrial taxation is where it’s at because, you know, Kitimat is collecting $35 million a year in industrial taxation and the City of Terrace collects $450,000 on a closed mill,” he said.