Canandaigua fire debate: Latitude 43 blaze raises questions about firefighter staffing on Main Street

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — The fire at Latitude 43 on Oct. 11 reignited debate over firefighter staffing in Canandaigua. The bar and restaurant had opened just three days earlier on Main Street before the fire broke out. The firefighter union said the fire could have been stopped sooner if more staffing was available. But Mayor Thomas Lyon says this should show why mutual aid is vital to smaller communities. Every community, unless they re extremely large, they have to rely on mutual aid. Just as the city of Canandaigua relies on our partners, those towns, we respond when they give us the call, Lyon said. Lyon said a study from last year showed mutual aid is the best route forward for now, but the fire department union, Local 2098, said this does not address the core problem of understaffing. The union said just four city firefighters were on scene, while the National Fire Protection Association recommends 28. As far as OSHA standards go, their recommendation or their rule is