Owen Sound firefighters are seeing red over a proposal from a council committee to cut back on the number of 9-1-1 calls they respond to.
Currently the Firefighters operate under a tiered response arrangement with Grey County Paramedics and are dispatched to a wide range of medical emergencies.
President of the Owen Sound Professional Firefighters Association, Dave Cruikshank, says often they are the first ones on the scene of a medical emergency.
However under a proposal from a council committee, firefighters will no longer respond to medical calls related to severe abdominal pain, hypothermia, drug overdoses, bleeding or child birth, to mention a few.
In total 19 different medical emergencies would be eliminated from the Firefighters call list.
Cruikshank says the proposed cutback is an attempt to save a few bucks and reduce wear and tear on the fire trucks at the expense of public safety.
He says these reductions in services will put Owen Sound residents at risk and visitors and tourists at risk as well.
Cruikshank says what’s even more appalling is that there has been no public consultation about these cut backs.
He says the Firefighters will be making a presentation to council Monday night before any vote on the cut back is taken.
