A new report is calling for the government to create a fire commissioner, who would oversee and manage firefighting across the province.
The report released Monday by the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia makes 40 recommendations to improve firefighting.
This report comes after advocates raised safety concerns about the provincial fire school in Waverley following the death of Skyler Blackie. He died in 2019 after a faulty extinguisher exploded.
In August, an audit revealed more details around the safety concerns, and the province announced they were cutting ties with the school.
On top of creating a fire commissioner to oversee the service, the report recommends:
- Creating a single Fire Services Act to put all of the legislation in one place.
- Creating a province-wide training standards and a provincial training system
- Implementing a standard dispatch system
- Enhancing mental health, cancer prevention and workers’ compensation coverage for all firefighters
- Creating more sustainable funding plans to rely less on volunteer fundraising
- Creating a provincial recruitment campaign and more incentives to help volunteer firefighter retention
The Halifax Professional Firefighters union has called for the province to start managing firefighting training and regulations, similar to New Brunswick, where provincial colleges offer firefighter training courses.
The province tabled a bill in the legislature Wednesday promising to make change to firefighting standards by the fall of next year.
When asked why the government tabled a bill instead of simply announcing their intent to make changes, Minister John Lohr said this would be the ninth fire review in about 50 years, and none of the others were acted upon.
“We felt we needed to make a stronger statement than just press release saying we received the report,” Lohr said.
Although the report contained 40 recommendations, Lohr would not comment specifically on which ones they would implement, but overall he said they are working to make changes based on the recommendations in the report.
