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He called the numbers “concerning” but added the insurance plan for the London Professional Fire Fighters Association requires members to take all their sick time before going on short or long-term disability.

And given that some employee groups are smaller than others – there are very few fire communicators and prevention officers compared to frontline members, for example – one or two injuries can inflate the numbers, Timlick said.

Firefighters in the larger suppression division – the ones fighting fires – actually took less sick time on average in 2017, down about five hours per employee.

Allegations of harassment and bullying exploded at the London fire department last month, and mounting pressure led city hall to hire a Toronto law firm to investigate the city corporation’s workplace culture and policy for filing complaints.

But Timlick said it’s not fair to associate a rise in sick time with a systemic problem.

“Our job is very different than an office employee or someone who works in other fields. There are certain stresses that are put on communicators, firefighters, fire inspectors, that can cause a great number of illnesses or injuries,” he said.

Coun. Jesse Helmer, chair of the corporate services committee that will review the absence numbers Tuesday, said it’s important to gauge trends in lost time.

“We want all of our employees to be well and to be able to be at work. There are a lot of reasons why people might miss work,” he said. “We have to always be vigilant about what’s going on in the workforce.”