Membership update Q4 2024 from President Duane Antle
As we move through the first quarter of 2025 your board of directors would like to wish each of
you a happy new year and all the best for your endeavors going forward.
After convention we got to work with an orientation for all directors. It was a great opportunity to discuss how our association works and how we can each do our part to make our association
stronger and it was a good education for new directors. Over that weekend we also set a path forward to address some of our more difficult issues and make a roadmap for the next 12 months.
We also got to work putting our committees in place and by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024 we have chairs and liaisons for most committees but we want to have more input from
the membership so please reach out to your directors if you feel you could help us make a contribution that will impact the fire service. A new committee we are working on is a new recruitment and retention committee. We want this committee to have a member from each region and each director has been tasked with picking a member to represent their respective regions.
Planning for convention 2025 in Marystown is moving along and the committee is working diligently to ensure you are going to have a tremendous time, from what we are seeing so far.
In November I attended the Municipalities NL Conference and trade show. We also facilitated a meeting with board members from MNL and PMA to discuss common issues and create a
unified approach to our common concerns such as funding for fire departments, training opportunities and other supports. We also discussed how we can all work together to further
our common causes. In December Director Abbott and I attended the 2024 Chiefs on the hill. We spoke with MPs, aids and federal staff supporting the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs in their efforts to secure additional funding and programs for fire services. Chief Vince Makenzie, President of the Maritime Fire Chiefs was also there so Newfoundland and Labrador was well represented. The main asks this year was the implementation of a federal fire secretariat and the creation of a federal funding program similar to the former JEPP program.
In the third quarter we told you about our partnership in the Local Leadership for Climate Adaption. We have learned at the end of December that our joint proposal with Municipalities
Newfoundland and Labrador, Professional Municipal Administrators and the Stewardship Association of Municipalities was successful and we hope to soon be updating you as that work
progresses.
One topic that we know you have been waiting to hear about is the control of traffic at emergency scenes. Right now, the training piece is in its final stages and is with OH&S for review. Once completed there is one more issue to work out with Transportation and Infrastructure when incidents are extended beyond multiple hours. We are meeting with Commissioner Fowler regularly on this issue and we hope to see this done soon.
In closing we would like to thank each of you for your support and dedication throughout 2024. As always if you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to your regional director or myself.
President Duane Antle
Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Fire Services
