'There is no replacement truck available'; London Fire Department short on serviceable fire engines
The garage is only half-full at No. 7 Fire Station in the north eastend of London, Ont.
The pumper truck that services the Huron Street and Highbury Avenue area went in for repairs and was not replaced.
"The front-line firetruck that would normally go to medical responses first-hand, for fire attack, vehicle accidents, anything that a fire truck responds to is no longer available," says Jason Timlick, president of the London Professional Firefighters Association (LPFFA).
"So 80,000 pound ladder truck that responds differently to structure fires is now responding for all the calls in that district. It is considerably larger, heavier, and its capabilities are not meant for that wear and tear running to those calls."
Timlick says trucks typically are lost for service for a few hours a day, but this is now day three. He's had conversations with Ward 3 Councillor Mo Salih, and is encouraging the public to ask questions.
No 7 Fire Station in London, Ont. down to 1 Fire Truck with pumper truck out of service and no replacement available (Brent Lale / CTV News)
"It's very concerning to the association, and my members that it should be concerning to the taxpayers that the level of service isn't the same but they're still paying the same," says Timlick.
London Fire Management told CTV News it wasn't available for an interview, but did respond to questions via email.
"London Fire has four spare Engines, one spare Aerial, and one spare Tanker," wrote Richard Hayes, deputy chief of operations of the London Fire Department
"Two of these spare Engines are out for maintenance. The remaining two available are in service in place of the regular engines that are out of service".
With no pumper available, No. 7 station has just an aerial truck which contains limited water.
"Although there are changes to deployment, there are no changes to our ability to manage emergency calls in a timely manner," says Hayes.
"Pump capacity, water supply, equipment, and personnel are readily available if needed. For any fire emergency, a number of apparatus are deployed. The first thing that the unit who is first on scene does is size up the situation to determine the best strategy for response. As additional crews arrive on scene, one of the first actions is to ensure an adequate water supply. This means that crews would connect to a hydrant before any fire personnel were deployed into a fire."
Timlick says their mechanics and apparatus division do an amazing job, but despite their best efforts, the vehicle could not get back on the road in a timely fashion.
No 7 Fire Station in London, Ont. down to 1 Fire Truck with pumper truck out of service and no replacement available (Brent Lale / CTV News)"Our understanding as an association is that Fire Administration has been aware that this is could be a pending problem for a large amount of time, and we knew this was coming down the pipe and it happened so we want to make sure the public is aware," says Timlick.
''Ultimately we don't control the fire department budget or the city budget and how it's spent but we definitely feel that some money should be allocated which I believe it is to replace an aging fleet, so this doesn't ever happen again."
Hayes says a spare engine will be freed up Monday and can be reassigned so Engine 7 can return to Station 7.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
3 Indian nationals accused of murdering Hardeep Singh Nijjar facing court in B.C.
Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.