Firefighters say they face increasing rates of violence while on duty

HALIFAX — Firefighters say they are facing increasing levels of violence on duty, and they’re asking the federal government to step up legislation.

In a survey of over 117 fire departments in Canada, 40 per cent of firefighters have experienced an assault within the last five years, says Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Kelly also said he believes incidents of violence are under-reported.

“We had a Toronto firefighter bitten by a patient,” Kelly said in an interview last month. “In Winnipeg, we’ve seen a severe rise; we’ve had 58 reported incidents in Winnipeg this year alone.”

The Canadian Press reached out to several firefighters unions across the country, as well as municipalities, to see if they kept their own statistics on reports of violence.

Several declined to respond, and others said they did not have those statistics available.

Kelly says violent incidents can range from verbal abuse to physical attacks, and consequences can be deadly.

“In Idaho, an individual lit a fire, drew in the fire department, and then shot firefighters, killing two of them and severely injuring another. We had a paramedic in Kansas City stabbed in the back of an ambulance and died,” Kelly said.

The IAFF says the frequency of these violent incidents is increasing, something that Jeremy Quillian, the president of the Moncton Firefighters Association, agrees with.

Quillian says the unhoused population in Moncton has grown larger in recent years, and several people have found shelter in wooded areas around the city.

“Sometimes we’re going into the woods for a bonfire complaint or a sighting of smoke, and we’ll startle them. They can get verbally aggressive with us. And when we’re out on these calls we do notice that they have weapons to protect themselves,” Quillian says.

Quillian says violent incidents are common during medical calls as well, especially in overdose situations. “When we wake the patient up they can be verbally or physically aggressive towards us.”

Although the Moncton Firefighters Association doesn’t keep specific statistics on reports by members, Quillian said in an email that there has been an increase in violent incidents while on calls or even at the fire stations. “Our members have reported incidents of their vehicles being vandalized while at work, reports of verbal altercations while on calls as well as physical assaults while on calls.”

A firefighter for over 16 years, Quillian says he sits down new recruits and squad members to let them know that the job has changed over the years. He says he tells new firefighters that they may have questions about certain calls, and that there are peer supports available to talk through anything they encounter on the job.

For Kelly, the first step in making the environment safer comes from the federal government. In November, Kelly travelled from the IAFF head office in Washington, D.C., to Ottawa, to speak with officials about strengthening the legislation around assaulting first responders.

Kelly advocated for changes that have been included in two pieces of legislation: the Liberal government’s bail sentencing and reform act, and a Senate Opposition bill. Both propose amendments to the Criminal Code to offer firefighters similar protections as police officers and transit workers.

The senate bill was introduced in September but has not yet been debated in the House of Commons.

The government’s bail reform bill, introduced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser in October, has passed its second reading and is now being studied by a House committee.

In an email, a representative from the Department of Justice says “the Government of Canada recognizes the importance of protecting emergency personnel from acts of violence; everyone deserves to work in an environment that is free from abuse.”

Kelly says the IAFF would like to see both pieces of legislation adopted.

“First and foremost, what we want to do is draw a line in the sand,” Kelly said. “If you assault firefighters and paramedics in Canada, there are going to be stiff penalties.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2025.

Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press