Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Handbook
P-043 Total Authorized Complement
Issued By: OPERATIONS (B Turpin/B VanGorder)
Approved By: Fire Chief Ken Stuebing
Date of Issue: 2007/10/02
Revision Date: 2019/01/23
PURPOSE:
To establish criteria to consistently determine the authorized complement of active volunteer members.
OBJECTIVE:
To establish the maximum number of active volunteer members and allowable number of volunteer officers.
SCOPE:
This policy applies to stations with volunteer firefighters throughout HRFE.
POLICY:
Total Authorized Complement
The total authorized complement of volunteers shall be based on the number of calls, averaged over the past 3 years. The authorized complement shall be calculated each January. This calculation does not apply to volunteer stations with 24-hour career coverage. 24-hour career stations are permitted a total complement of 20 volunteer members. Substation volunteers shall be included in the complement for their primary volunteer station, i.e. Stations 9 & 10, 17 & 18 shall have a maximum of 20 volunteer members in total.
|
Number of Calls (averaged of the past 3 years) |
Total Authorized Complement (includes firefighters and officers) |
| 200 or less | 24 |
| 201 and over | 35 |
The aforementioned shall not inhibit a station from requesting an increase in active members based upon increased demands on that specific station. The applicable Board of Chiefs (BOC) shall be responsible for creating the business case for this increase and present it to the Deputy Chief of Operations for approval. For stations falling below a staffing level of 7 active members, consideration should be given to whether the station can continue to operate or should become a substation.
Note: Support positions will be dealt with separately from the authorized complement of operational active firefighters.
Number of Operational Officers
Each station with a volunteer complement shall have a Station Chief and, where possible, one Lieutenant. If the number of members warrants, a station/substation shall also have additional Lieutenants.
The number of Operational Officers shall be based on a 5:1 member to officer ratio. These officers shall be included in the Total Authorized Complement of the station. Where possible, no Station will have less than two officers.
Should the normal attrition of volunteers reduce the number of active members below the current number of officers, the station will be given 12 months to recruit new members. After 12 months, if the number of active members does not match the number of officers, one Lieutenant position will be removed from the authorized number of officers.
Ratio of officer position to active members 5:1
| # of active operational members (including officers, not including support members) |
# of officers (including Station Chief) |
| Up to 12 | 2 |
| 13 to 18 | 3 |
| 19 to 24 | 4 |
| 25 to 30 | 5 |
| 31 to 35 | 6 |
Each January, it shall be the responsibility of the Volunteer Sector Manager to review the staffing levels at each station and make recommendations for any changes necessary to ensure operational efficiency.
The ratio of 5 firefighters to 1 officer does not imply that it will be expected 1 officer shall oversee 5 firefighters as a norm. It indicates that 1 officer may supervise a maximum of 5 firefighters for interior fire ground operations. The maximum number of persons supervised may vary according to the type and complexity of the work being performed.
Lateral Transfers
Lateral transfers of members who move from one area of HRM to another shall be permitted even if they exceed the authorized complement. When transfers create a complement which exceeds the authorized complement, there shall be no new members added until the numbers have been corrected by attrition.
Preparation for Verified Vacancies
When a member gives advanced written notice of resignation, the station may initiate preparation of a member to fill that vacancy through the intake policy in advance of the departure of the member.
Additional Officers for Multiple Stations
Stations with one or more sub-stations may request the appointment of an additional line officer. For this request to be considered, the station must be a full complement. The appointment shall not add to the existing complement.
Acting Division Captains
Each Division Commander is responsible to develop and train appropriate officers to act as the Division Captain, both for succession planning purposes and the filling of temporary vacancies.
RELATED POLICIES/ OPERATING GUIDELINES:
• P-055 Volunteer Participation Requirements and Honorarium Program
• P-045 Volunteer Support Positions
POLICY REVIEW:
This policy shall be reviewed when/if there are changes/amendments to the procedure followed for determining the authorized complement of active volunteer members.