No more volunteer fire crew? City of Vernon plans to let agreement expire at end of 2025

Photo: Castanet file photo

This could be the final year the City of Vernon has volunteer firefighters.

In a declassified motion from the Dec. 9 city council meeting, director of fire rescue services David Lind, who is also fire chief of Vernon Fire Rescue Services, recommended council not renew the city’s agreement with the Vernon Volunteer Firefighters Association which expires Dec. 31, 2025.

It’s not clear why council and Lind will be ending its agreement with VVFA when it expires at the end of this year. It’s also not clear if a new agreement will be made up.

The council item mentioned a memorandum titled “Vernon Volunteer Firefighters Association (VVFA) Agreement Expiry” dated Nov. 25, 2024 and submitted by Lind. The council agenda does not link to any attachments.

Castanet has reached out to the city to ask for a copy of the memorandum and for how many volunteer firefighters there currently are in Vernon, but it was unable to provide the information by the time of publication.

Castanet has also reached out to the VVFA for more information, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Council will have the opportunity to discuss the declassified motion further in open council on Monday at its regular meeting.

The motion became declassified once written notice was provided to the VVFA of the intention not to renew the agreement.

In spring 2023, volunteer firefighters made headlines after one-third of the crew quit en masse. At the time, an anonymous ex-volunteer said the decision had come “after months of neglect, failed mediations, and all around disrespect."