Volunteer firefighter concerns to get hearing

A shortage of firefighters and other problems faced by the Island's many volunteer fire departments are to get attention from a new provincialadvisory committee.

"There is all kinds of issues around getting members to sign up to fire departments," said Tim Jenkins, president of the P.E.I. Firefighters Association. "It's getting harder and harder, and maybe we can work together and make that a little better on the Island."

The P.E.I. government has set up a fire services advisory committee to look into the departments' concerns, which also include aging fire halls and equipment, the availability of volunteers to respond to fires,liability, risk management, training and funding.

Thecommittee is made up of representatives from more than a dozen fire departments across the province.

Jenkins,a co-chair of the panel,said it would meet over the next few months and eventually present its findings to the minister of public safety.