Windsor holds first responder career expo to combat recruitment challenges

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Faced with declining interest in emergency-related careers, Windsor hosted its inaugural first-responder job expo Wednesday in an effort to boost recruitment.

Representative from 34 municipal, provincial, and federal agencies looking for new recruits were invited to set up a booth at the St. Clair Centre for the Arts in downtown Windsor.

“Everyone’s having difficulties recruiting — we’re all feeling the pain,” said Windsor Police Service’s community service Sgt. Robert Hallett, who is involved in recruiting.

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“For whatever reason, we’re not getting the amount of applicants that we once did. Just having people apply, having people that are qualified to do the job, has been a task in itself. That’s why we’re out here today trying to attract quality candidates.”

Two hours into the event, Hallett told the Star more than 500 people had already passed through the doors to connect with potential employers. He said he hoped attendance would surpass 1,000 by the end of the day.

Police services for Windsor, LaSalle, and Chatham; Essex-Windsor EMS; and Windsor Fire and Rescue Services were on-site.

Alongside the regional emergency services, several provincial and federal agencies also took part in the expo, offering attendees a glimpse into a breadth of public safety careers.

Representatives from the Canada Border Services Agency, Ontario Provincial Police special investigations unit, Royal Canadian Navy, and more, were available to share recruitment information.

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Adrian Bezaire, captain of the professional standards department at Essex-Windsor EMS, said the agency started noticing a drop-off in applicants post-pandemic.

Unlike some other first responder roles, paramedics must complete a two-year college program in order to apply — a condition Bezaire said can be a hurdle when trying to recruit.

“Enrollment at the college is still full, but we’re growing at a pace that exceeds that, so we’re really pushing to improve our recruitment,” Bezaire explained.

He said the agency is preparing for upcoming retirements and trying to keep pace with the region’s growing population, which comes with rising demand for emergency services.

Windsor-Essex saw a surge of population growth in 2023, and that historic population growth was forecasted to carry into 2024.

“With population growth, comes an increase in emergency calls, and comes demand for more paramedics — how can we put more resources on the road?” said Bezaire.

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“It means that paramedics working now are busier. They’re responding to a lot of calls in a day. They’re getting tired. To make sure that we can support them adequately and support our response times in the community, we need to recruit.”

In 2023, the region added nearly as many new residents in a single year as it had over the past two decades combined. According to Statistics Canada, Windsor-Essex grew by 31,958 in 2023, bringing the total population to 468,019.

The recruitment event was promoted locally, and to students at St. Clair College and the University of Windsor, however, Hallett said the expo likely drew interest from across the province.

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