‘Open letter trot Vonda Volunteer Fire & Rescue Denartment Membership. Nov 23 2017 ‘When an injustice is committed then itis our duty to stand up and correct that injustice. In the past few months some of you may have been hearing rumors about the fire department. Perhaps some are true and some are probably false. This letter to the residents of \Vonda and the RM of Grants intended to educate you on what has been transpiring. First of all we the ED (Fire Department) are and will always be proud to serve you the people of Vonda and the RIM of Grant. We take pride in doing the best job possible with the limited resources that we have. We are VOLUNTEERS and that says a lot in todays society when everybody wants to get recognition for what they do. This is not about recognition itis about Justice, in February one of my members of the FD came to me stating that he had suffered a stress injury at the Jan 4* accident on Hwy 5. He told me that he was going to a therapist for help to understand his feelings. He also told me that the therapist didn’t see any reason why he couldn't continue with the FD. This situation with our member of the FD was new to us but not new to the Fire service in general. That being said we had knowledge of how to proceed. First of all, It was important to maintain a close relationship amongst our members and to watch out for each other. If any behavior issues or unprofessionalism would occur then disciplinary action would be taken. In this case there were no issues and all was going good. ‘On June 13" the VTC (Vonda Town Council) called the fire chief into a meeting, After giving my report | was then put on the spot about an injury to a member of the FD which | was aware of. Then the VTC bombarded me with documents from WCB Bill 39, WCB W1 and a document from the VTC outlining a policy that they wanted to have put in place by the FD regarding the issue . Without any time to consider or read over the material the VTC demanded that I comply with their wishes. Reluctantly | did and in hind sight | see that | shouldn't have, After looking over their policy | called the WCB (Workers Compensation Board), The Human Rights Commission, the SVFFA (Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association), ‘CISM (Crisis Intervention Stress Management), The Otfice Of The Fire Commissioner and The Labor Standards Board and they all told me that what transpired was a case of discrimination and/or that how they proceeded with this issue was wrong. The VTC removed my member from his duties without receiving notification from himself and more importantly his physician, that he was not able to work. Based on the Labour Standards Act, an employee can't be removed from duties for an illness or mental injury without just cause. The VTC unilaterally decided he was injured fo the point that he was unfit to do his job. On June 24" the VTC requested to attend the FD meeting to explain their position on this issue, The request was granted to the TOV to attend the FD meeting. In the mean time | had asked the president of the SVFFA to come and speak at the FD meeting. The day of the meeting the VTC by chance talked to my guest speaker and found out that he was coming to talk about the issue. They got scared and told him that they were not comfortable with him ‘coming to the meeting, He proceeded to call me and told me that he was not going to come out because he didn't want to get into the lion's den on this issue. About one hour later the VTC calls my guest to tell him that my FD meeting had been cancelled. Then they told most of my members that the meeting was cancelled but did not have the courtesy to call me but chose to send me an email 2 hours before the meating which | didn't get until 10 minutes before my meeting. This just goes to show you how your democratic VTC is closer to a DICTATORSHIP. ‘Vonda Town Council then decided to reschedule the meeting Aug 14” They asked my guest from the SVFFA and the coordinator of CISM, who are both top experts in the province to attend. The fire department attended the meeting as well as all of town council. A good discussion was had. The guest speakers relayed to all of us the proper procedure to deal with PTSD issues. They also mentioned that my member of the FD was removed from duties for invalided reasons because he doesn't have PTSD. Yet the comment that came out of that meeting from VTC was “They were the wrong people to have come and speak about the issue".‘Open letter from the Vonda Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department Membership. Despite what has transpired the FD member has taken it upon himself to comply with the VTC wishes and has: > Submitted the WCB W1 > Been seeing a psychologist and family doctor (prior to VTC even asking him to) > Obtained a letter from his doctor stating that he doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn't {go back to work and the doctors commented “I am not sure why his duties were limited” That being said, WCB has given him the all clear to go back to work but VTC has decided that the member still hasn't complied with the VTC letter of expectations, and will not reinstate him. This policy that the town has implemented on the FD is discriminatory. It has caused other members of the FD to be fearful in speaking up about how they feel after going to a call for fear of being removed from their duties. In this day and age of mental awareness we should not be marginalizing people for how they feel. We should be working to understand thelr needs and help them through their difficulties. The VTC has never called or gone to see my member about this issue until a call on Oct 18th. What does that say to you about how much they really care? The VTC does not value the VOLUNTEERS that it has. VTC is scared of liability and has gone so far as to protect itself that they have trampled on the rights of my member which in turn has caused a bigger liability issue. The town council seems to be making an effort to take control of the Fire Department...no one on the council has any training or knowledge that would qualify them for the types of decisions required at an accident scene or a fire. If they continue their efforts, we wonder how much longer all of the volunteers will continue before they just throw up their hands and walk away. ‘The Vonda Fire Department and Medical First Responders have worked together for many years. Without one you will not have the other. We've responded to 49 calls to date and have helped anyone in need when they've had a crisis. Now we're asking you, the community members to get involved. Please help us to change the way we're being treated and right the wrong that is being done to our members. We ask that you pressure the VTC to turn over all reserves, equipment and control of the FD to the RM of Grant as there has been some preliminary discussions to that end. In this way the FD can continue to serve you all As a result of the lack of confidence and the micromanagement that VTC is attempting over the FD, | am stepping down immediately as Fire chief but will remain active as a Fire Fighter until the end of Dec 2017. If at that time the RM of Grant takes over control of the fire department then I would let my name stand for Fire Chief. If the Rm Of Grant is not in control of the FD then | and many other members of the Fire Department and Medical First Responders will be resigning for good. Remember that if you don't have a FD your insurance rates will rise substantially. Hf you don't have Medical First Responders your health may suffer. We thank you for your help and your ongoing support. Brian Florizone Ex Fire Chief