Firefighters axed at Gander airport in cash-saving move

Gander International Airport has cut its number of full-time firefighters to save money.

Airport manager Gary Vey says there is now just one full-time person at the fire hall, 24 hours a day.

The move downgrades the airport's firefighting rating. 

But Vey says it should not affect the kinds of planes that can land because the airport can call in extra crew as required.

"We felt — and we talked to our customers, and they felt — that it wasn't necessary for us to have the complement [of] two full-time people in the fire hall all the time," Vey said.

Vey says the change came into effect last week.

He says four full-time firefighters took voluntary retirement, but 11 more people have been trained to do the work.

In May, Vey told CBC News that the airport recently posted its best numbers in three decades for civilian passengers, but military and commercial traffic is down significantly.

As a result, revenues were down by $1.6-million in 2012.