“The twelve firefighters wish to be clear: this was not a resignation. Stepping away is intended to underscore the seriousness of the situation and the need for prompt, effective intervention by the employer,” their statement adds.

They acknowledge that the town has a strong policy on workplace harassment, but their statement adds: “the municipality has not made adequate and meaningful action to address the underlying problems within the department to mitigate favoritism, and to provide a safe and a harassment free environment.”

Their statement also refers to “important changes” in the bylaw governing the fire department in response to recommendations made by the Montana Consulting Group that the town hired in 2021 after Warktimes published reports about 17 firefighters who had resigned over a five-year span.

Their resignation letters outlined complaints about persistent harassment, bullying, favouritism and blatant discrimination against women in the department.

Montana recommendations

Sackville Fire Chief Craig Bowser

Under the new fire department bylaw, firefighters became part-time employees with better wage rates, but the bylaw also gave more power to the fire chief and the CAO:

—the old fire department constitution and internal bylaws, which gave firefighters the right to elect their own officers as well as a say in the hiring of new members, was eliminated.

—the grievance committee, which had never been set up, was replaced with a complaint procedure requiring volunteer firefighters to discuss their complaints with the chief and then, with the CAO.

Although the Montana report has never been made public, it’s understood that the consultants made several recommendations including:

—clarify the town’s expectations regarding the role and duties of the fire chief

—provide proper training for each firefighter and for each supervisor

—the chief should conduct firefighter performance reviews on a timely basis as determined in consultation with the CAO

—the CAO should get feedback from the firefighters at least every three years regarding the performance of the chief.

As part-time employees, firefighters are subject to the town’s social media policy which bans any commentary that would reflect badly on how the town is run and firefighters must refer any media requests for information or comment to the fire chief.

When the firefighters turned in their pagers on Monday, they presented the CAO with a two-page letter outlining their grievances.

Warktimes did not receive a copy.

To read the firefighters’ statement, click here.

Note: As the fire department’s only full-time employee, the fire chief receives a base salary of between $75,707 and $100,942.