All Officers should seek answers to the following questions from your CFO/DCFO at your next Officers Meeting.

As your safety, and that of the public is of paramount importance, answers should be sought before any less important subjects are raised by your Chief Fire Officer.

As some CFO’s/DCFO’s have expressed a common sense view and then changed to reflect Regional Manager McGill’s unbending orders, all replies to your questions need to be recorded in writing, witnessed by those present, then faxed to the Union Office.

• What are you (CFO) doing to maintain MSM?
  
• Do you (CFO) find it acceptable to have your appliances undermanned?
  
• Will you (CFO) find it acceptable to take an appliance off the run when you (CFO) will not maintain MSM?
• Will you (CFO) find it acceptable to replace an appliance taken off the run because you (CFO) will not maintain MSM, with a Volunteer crewed appliance from a composite or other Volunteer Station?
• With a S/FF riding in charge who may or may not have SO qualifications, who is in charge on the first alarm in his (S/FF) First Pump area when Station Officers arrive on the fireground? 
  Who is responsible?
• Do you (CFO) find it acceptable to have a S/FF (partially qualified as Station Officer) riding in charge of an SSO appliance/station? If yes is the answer, ask how the Command and Control function of an SSO is to be enacted on the fireground by a S/FF.
• If any member of a short-crewed appliance is injured on the fireground, will you (CFO) accept responsibility? If not, who will be held responsible?
• If any property is damaged unnecessarily because of the appliance being short crewed, will you (CFO) accept responsibility? If not, who will be accountable?
• If any member of the public dies because short crewing prevented Firefighters from doing their job safely, will you (CFO) accept responsibility? If you (CFO) will not, who will be held accountable?

If you have any other questions, you should ask them and record their answers.

Should your CFO present a Vince Arbuckle or Regional Manager McGill parroted response, you should press him to give you his answer as your CFO.

Should your CFO refuse to answer these and any other Very Important Questions, you should leave the meeting en masse. Should you be ordered to remain, your participation will be under (silent) protest.