Fire Chief Makes A Compelling Case

The Saint John Fire Department has been around since 1786---and in a Core Service Review that also included Waterfront Development, Enterprise Saint John, the industrial parks, and Discover Saint John, Fire Chief Kevin Clifford made a compelling case not to cut or freeze the fire budget any further.

Clifford tells CHSJ News he doesn't mind publicly stating he thinks a regional service could be an excellent option.
Clifford says before the major cuts in 2012 there would be 2 or 4 times a year when all the apparatus was tied up: now, that's jumped to 40 or 50 times a year. The cuts in 2012 involved the loss of 16 positions.

He also emphasized that a robust fire service is key to our future as an industrial hub. Council has filed the information for consideration in its next budget deliberations.