Montreal Fire Department Faces Urgent Equipment Crisis Now

URGENT UPDATE: The Montreal Fire Department is grappling with a critical equipment crisis that jeopardizes firefighter safety. A damning report from the city’s auditor general, released Tuesday, highlights severe inventory tracking issues and a concerning lack of essential gear.

According to the report, the department is facing non-compliant equipment and inadequate supplies, raising alarms over the health and safety of firefighters. Chris Ross, president of the Montreal Firefighters’ Association (APM), stated, “This is 2025, we are a large metropolitan fire department, there’s absolutely no reason why we don’t have an inventory of all of our gear.”

Ross has been an advocate for reform within the fire department for the past decade. He emphasized the dire consequences of these shortages, noting, “We have fire trucks that are out of service because we cannot adequately equip our firefighters with gear. We have fire trucks going to calls that are short-staffed.” This alarming situation is not due to a lack of personnel, but rather to missing equipment that is essential for safe operations.

The report also highlights protocols requiring firefighters to wash and inspect their gear following exposure to hazardous conditions. Ross insists this is critical to prevent harmful contamination that could impact their health.

Richard Liebmann, chief of Montreal’s fire department, acknowledged the equipment issues even prior to the report’s release. “Many of those improvements were already in the process of being implemented,” Liebmann stated. He revealed that the department is in the midst of upgrading its tracking system and enhancing the capacity for washing uniforms.

This year, the city allocated nearly $6.3 million to acquire over 1,300, approaching 1,500 new sets of bunker gear, along with helmets, gloves, and boots. However, Ross remains skeptical about accountability, insisting, “I think as a taxpayer, they should be concerned that in 2025, you’re spending millions of dollars on equipment, and you have no idea where it is.”

This ongoing situation raises serious concerns for the safety of Montreal’s firefighters and the effectiveness of emergency response across the city. As more details emerge, stakeholders will be closely monitoring the fire department’s actions and the city’s commitment to addressing these pressing safety issues.

As developments unfold, residents and city officials alike await assurances that these critical shortages will be rectified swiftly to ensure the safety of those who bravely serve to protect them.