by John Hamilton
of The Free Press
The consultant who prepared a controversial report on the London fire department defended his recommendations Friday night.
Warren Kimball, a fire consultant from Jamestown, R.I., said, “They are all valid points and I hope the city acts on them.
“But,” he emphasized, “I am not criticizing London council or its administration . . . there just seems to be a serious breakdown in communications.”
The report, released Thursday, said the fire department urgently needs more staff and more reserve equipment and is suffering from morale problems.
Speaking in a telephone interview from his home, Mr. Kimball said he believes the main problem in London is a lack of rapport between elected officials and their staff and the professional firefighters.
The consultant said the city is moving in the right direction to solve many of the existing problems.
London firefighters say city council has rejected appeals for additional staff and say there were suggestions the fire department could function with less.
Told that Mayor Jane Bigelow had questioned his credentials in firefighting, Mr. Kimball said he served 43 years with the U.S.-based Fire Protection Association, ending the term as a fire chief specialist.
Mr. Kimball said that during the last five years he has been a fire service consultant, completing more than 100 reports.
Mr. Kimball said many of his recommendations had been used in various cities, including Windsor where about 90 per cent of his suggestions were adopted.
He also said he has written about 50 books and pamphlets on fire department organization which are used in training programs for firefighters.
The Fire Protection Association, Mr. Kimball said, is a voluntary body supported by firefighting groups and governments in the U.S. and Canada.
“It is recognized as the advisory body which establishes safety codes and standards for fire departments.”
Mayor Bigelow said Friday she is not impressed with the report and that it lacks credibility.
“First of all,” she said, “it’s been done by an American, who, as far as I can see, has had no practical experience in firefighting.”
“He (Mr. Kimball) uses the U.S. experience – he talks of civil disobedience and that’s not the London experience.
“There’s no data in the report, no charts.”
The mayor noted that no firemen had resigned despite the reported morale problem.
Art Ordish, president of the London Firefighters Association which requested the report, said later that city firefighters were professionals, mainly concerned with doing their job and keeping the city safe.
Mr. Kimball said he is surprised his report has raised controversy.
“I see no catastrophic deficiencies in the London fire department. I just made recommendations that I thought would be helpful to safety.”
London fire department has a total staff of 291 compared with 438 in Hamilton and 285 in Windsor.
Firefighters handle all fire calls in both Hamilton and Windsor. Fire calls in London go through civilian dispatchers, a point about which city staff say they are particularly bitter.
