The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Association (TPFFA) is furious with Mayor Rob Ford’s use of a fire truck as a prop at his official campaign launch party, calling it “utterly tasteless” and a “cheap political stunt.”

The truck was parked inside the Toronto Congress Centre in Etobicoke where the party took place Thursday night. It was emblazoned with the slogan ‘Saving the taxpayers from getting burned’ along with Ford’s oft-repeated claim that he’s ‘saved the taxpayers a billion dollars.’

TPFFA president Ed Kennedy said in a release that Ford’s use of the truck was especially upsetting considering recently approved budget cuts to the association.

“Mayor Rob Ford’s decision to use a fire truck to trumpet his false claims about taxpayer savings Thursday is a slap in the face to tens of thousands of Toronto residents whose fire protection levels will decrease Monday when four actual fire trucks are taken out of service,” Kennedy wrote.

Kennedy said the cuts would save taxpayers “only two cents a day,” but would put lives at risk, causing delays to emergency response.

“Public safety is not a game or a political trinket, it’s a mayor’s number one responsibility to his citizens,” he said.

“And when the consequences of these cuts to frontline services become evident, Rob Ford had better be prepared to face those families and explain why he jeopardized their safety in exchange for a cheap photo op.”

Mayor's Fire Truck Campaign Tasteless- Fire Fighters