Councillor Doug Ford is accusing the president of the Toronto Firefighters Association of using scare tactics when he criticized the use of a fire truck at the launch of mayor Rob Ford’s re-election campaign.

The truck, actually owned by the Ford family, displayed a banner reading “Saving the taxpayers from getting burned.”

Firefighters association president Ed Kennedy called it tasteless and a slap in the face at a time when four fire trucks are being taken off the road because of budget reductions.

Acting as his brother’s campaign manager, Doug Ford says Kennedy is disingenuous and just wants to start a controversy.  Ford is encouraging firefighters to replace Kennedy as their president.