If you need Windsor Fire and Rescue Services to sign off on a business license, you might have to wait.
City council rejected a request to hire two new fire prevention officers during Monday night's deliberations on the operations budget, and Fire Chief Stephen Laforet says that will impact the less critical services it provides.
"If we get a complaint or a request for inspection that we feel needs to be done right away, we don't let that one wait," says Laforet. "Something like a business license or something that is not as critical may be delayed a couple of days or a week or so."
Council approved its operating budget which calls for a 0.9% increase in property taxes.
Laforet says the request was made because the workload continues to increase, while staffing levels at the fire department have not changed for years.
"We do find it hard to meet the work demand," he says. "There's a number of provincially legislated changes that occurred in the last number of years. Our staffing has remained the same. We've also seen an increase in our complaints and requests for inspections which we're obligated to go after."
"It can have an affect community-wide," continues Laforet. "That being said, we're going to go back and look at our business model and make sure that with our current staff we're going to do the best that we can."
Laforet says council's rejection will not impact the work of fighting fires.
- With files from Maureen Revait
