The chief of the Victoria Fire Department is dispelling apparent “myths or rumours” from a civic election campaign, which he worries could mislead voters about public safety. The campaign comes from the Victoria Firefighters Association (VFA) — the first in its 168-year history. The union has endorsed seven council candidates based on six public safety issues. Fire Chief Dan Atkinson said the union’s public safety priorities make sense, but many are already being addressed. He also said some of the data the union referenced to bolster its calls to action is incorrect. “I really want to make sure that people just have the correct information and that we’re dispelling any myths or rumors that may have occurred, probably unintentionally, as a result of these six priority actions,” Atkinson said in an interview with CTV News. Since the union shared its priorities earlier this month, Atkinson said he’s heard from roughly 20 people wondering if the city is safe. “It’s really important for me to put the public’s mind at rest and let them know that Victoria today, from a fire rescue and a safety perspective, is safer than it’s ever been,” he said. Josh Montgomery, president of Victoria Firefighters IAFF Local 730, was not available for an interview Tuesday. Traffic & road design The firefighters’ union wants Victoria’s future council members to ensure emergency response is considered in traffic planning. The union notes the city has narrowed several roads, which could put response times at risk. It’s asking candidates to commit to establishing a consultative role, so union members can weigh in on road redesign projects. Atkinson said one of his deputy chiefs regularly meets with the city’s engineering and traffic department and shares feedback from front-line staff. He doesn’t want people to be under the impression that emergency vehicles are regularly stuck in traffic. “It’s not a significant impact on our ability to respond and provide care quickly,” he said. Atkinson said traffic design accounts for less than 10 per cent of the department’s “over-goal calls,” which are calls where the department exceeds its targeted response time. He said the leading contributor to over-goal calls is turnout time, which is the time it takes firefighters to get dressed and leave the station. It accounts for roughly 60 per cent of the department’s over-goal responses. A political scientist said it can be difficult for voters to understand the minutiae of various election issues, including public safety. He said some lean on endorsers to do their homework for them. “If we’re really at odds in terms of the data and the information provided, then the credibility of the endorsement might be a little bit tainted by that,” said Dan Reeve, an instructor at Camosun College. High-rise firefighting The union has also flagged staffing for high-rise firefighting as one of its six priorities. It’s asking council candidates to commit to establishing a plan to increase staffing levels for high-rise structure fires. “Residents who live in high-rises need the same level of service, and we need the resources to provide that,” the union says on its website. Since that priority was publicized, Atkinson said several community members have expressed concerns the fire department isn’t equipped to respond as the city grows vertically. He said the department is never short on firefighters and its staffing level continues to rise. “In 2018 … we created a whole new high-rise operations training program for the Victoria Fire Department,” he said. “We worked with industry leaders across the country and we developed new strategies for how we approach and respond to high-rise buildings.” Should more personnel be needed in the event of a major fire, he said the city can lean on its mutual aid agreements with neighbouring fire departments. Inaccurate overdose data Among the union’s six requests to council candidates is a recommendation for proactive mental health support through the city. It said repeated exposure to overdose calls takes its toll on members, noting the department responded to 2,381 overdose and poisoning calls in 2024. Atkinson said that number is incorrect. He said the department responded to 1,390 overdose calls in 2024. “2024 was our busiest year for all call types in history,” he said. “When we went back and we reviewed the data, we looked at ways that we could start to reduce those unnecessary repetitive calls without negatively impacting patient outcomes.” After adjusting the types of medical aid calls the department responds to, Atkinson said the number of overdose responses fell to roughly 475 so far this year. “That’s a dramatic reduction as a direct result of making sure we want to take care of the mental health of our first responders,” he said, noting the department has robust mental health resources. Reeve said some voters rely on endorsers, so it’s essential accurate information is shared. “If the numbers are wrong, or in this case, possibly inflated or wildly overinflated, it just creates an incorrect picture of what’s actually happening,” Reeve said. “No one is doubting that having to deal with overdose cases is difficult emotionally, physically, psychologically. That’s not in question.”
