There are fewer firefighters on duty in Winnipeg today than there were over 40 years ago.
This, despite our city growing by over 250,000 residents and a staggering 1,150% increase in emergency calls.
In 2024 alone, the Winnipeg Fire Department spent $9 million on overtime—enough to fund 70 full-time firefighter positions.
It’s time to redirect those excessive overtime costs into permanent staffing. Let’s increase our staffing ratio from 1.29 to 1.34 to protect the public and our members.
Thank you to Mayor Gillingham and Chief Schmidt for your visit with UFFW Vice President / WFD Captain – TJ Belluk and the crew at Station 11 today.
Your willingness to listen and better understand the unprecedented staffing shortages and skyrocketing call volumes being faced by WFD, is an essential first step toward ensuring our frontline firefighters are properly supported and equipped to continue helping our community when they need us most.
#ProtectTheFrontlineHire59
