The Montreal Firefighters Association describes the $6.4 million investment announced by the City of Montreal on July 3 for personal protective equipment (PPE) for its 2,400 firefighters as a belated and insufficient minimum

MONTREAL, July 9, 2025 /CNW/ – The Montreal Firefighters Association today sought to correct the facts put forward by the City of Montreal in its recent announcement, although it says it welcomes any investment in the Fire Department, and more specifically in support services for its members, which have not only been ignored but also dramatically reduced over the years.

“This so-called new investment is nothing more than the reinstatement of some of the permanent positions and related funds that existed before the budget cuts of previous years,” said President Chris Ross, expressing serious doubts about the employer’s real interest. For the Association, the employer’s communication on this subject obscures important nuances.

Over the past 15 years, 92 Montreal firefighters have had their deaths recognized as occupational diseases by the CNESST. They alone account for 90% of all occupational disease-related deaths among firefighters in Quebec: “a sad reminder of the risks we face every day,” continued the union leader. In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), recognizing these risks, classified the firefighting profession as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category as asbestos. Despite this globally recognized situation, the Association’s incessant requests since 2018 for investments to better protect the health and safety of its members have gone unheeded. “Worse still, five years after the 2020 requirements for decontamination of our equipment came into force, the employer was only washing combat clothing once a year, rather than after each exposure and contamination,” added Mr. Ross.

He pointed out that the Association had to file a complaint with the CNESST last fall, urging it to intervene in the face of the employer’s deliberate negligence toward the health and safety of its members. According to the Association, the announcement made with great fanfare by the employer in recent days amounts to nothing more than belated compliance, or even a pure public relations exercise, fearing the legal obligations that would result, namely the imposition of severe fines. In taking credit for this investment, the City fails to mention that it was the intervention of the CNESST that forced it to make the health and safety of its firefighters a priority.

According to the union leader, this investment represents only the bare minimum that barely allows the Fire Department (SIM) to keep its head above water in this regard, whereas on a daily basis, it is not uncommon to see between 10 and 30 trucks taken out of service on the island of Montreal during repeated fires, simply because the employer lacks not only spare firefighting gear, but also the capacity to wash it.

“This symptomatic situation is abnormal and extremely dangerous in what is the largest fire department in Quebec and the second largest in Canada,” concluded the APM president, assuring that the Association will continue to fight for the resources and procedures deserved by those who risk their lives for the citizens of this city.

SOURCE Association des pompiers de Montréal