Workers' Safety orders Fort Res fire department closed
Deputy fire chief vows to continue fighting fires despite stop-work order issued Nov. 19
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 1, 2014
DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION
The Fort Resolution fire department has been ordered to shut down by the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) due to substandard equipment used by firefighters.
"It means that the fire department can't respond the way they are," said Stephen Moss, vice-president of prevention services with WSCC, of stop-work order issued Nov. 19.
Moss noted some of the problems identified in the stop-work order are not extremely difficult to take care of, so the department should be able to resume operations again in a reasonable amount of time.
As for how long that might be, Moss said that depends on how the Hamlet of Fort Resolution addresses the situation.
Louis Balsillie, deputy fire chief with the department, expects volunteers will still respond to fire calls, despite the order.
The closest community fire department is 150 km away in Hay River.
"To watch a house burn in your community, I don't think you can stand by," he said.
Earlier this year, a 16-year-old girl died in an August house fire in the Fort Resolution.
Balsillie noted most of the firefighters have already discussed the matter and agreed they would respond to calls.
Neither Moss nor Balsillie could say what the consequences might be if the volunteers defy the stop-work order.
"I think it would all depend on the circumstances, but they definitely would be in breach of the order," said Moss.
Balsillie said the firefighters have been told by the WSCC not to take out the fire truck, even though there is nothing wrong with it.
The concern is with the breathing apparatus and fire gear - such as coats - from the early 1990s, he said. "It's never been replaced."
Balsillie said it probably won't be until the new year that the department will get new gear and the required additional training.
The department consists of about 12 members, one fire truck and a pick-up truck.
Moss said that, to his knowledge, shutting down a fire department has never happened before in the NWT.
"The stop-work order is related to the use of equipment that doesn't have proper maintenance and operations procedures attached to it, and also for the training and the emergency operations," he explained.
The order also deals with fire ground operations and response, meaning just about everything that a fire department does.
Moss noted the original inspection of the fire department occurred in September 2013 and the WSCC had been working with the Hamlet of Fort Resolution to try and get protocols and procedures in place to deal with the concerns since that time, but the community government was not adequately addressing the issues.
"It's quite disappointing," he said. "I see a fire department being an absolute priority for any community for safety, and the fact that they haven't put the resources or the effort to maintain it and train the personnel and equip them appropriately is a huge disappointment."
Balsillie said the volunteer firefighters were not aware the department was in danger of facing a stop-work order until told at the Nov. 19 meeting by an assistant fire marshal from Fort Smith.
The fire department is the responsibility of the Hamlet of Fort Resolution.
"We didn't realize we were in such a dire position," said deputy mayor Patrick Simon of the stop-work order. "So we're not sure where the communication breakdown is."
In fact, Simon doesn't believe that any council member was aware of the seriousness of the situation until after the Nov. 19 meeting.
The deputy mayor explained council generally lets the fire department operate on its own, aside from approving funding and the purchase of equipment.
"We're thinking that these things are being done and sometimes from a motion to an actual purchase is not a simple thing," he said. "So we assumed that we had everything when in fact some of our stuff was getting old and can't be used any more."
Nonetheless, Simon said he thinks the hamlet deserves some of the blame for the communication breakdown.
"We kind of took the fire department and the fire people for granted all these years, I imagine," he said.
"We figured they know what they're doing and they're doing their stuff, and we try not to bring the politics in. So I think we really didn't pay too much attention in terms of thinking where we fit in, and we suddenly realize that there's a little more to it than dedicated people who will get up at any hour to fight fires. It requires the administration and the leadership also to make sure that resources and the right guidance and direction are there."
Simon is now concerned with fixing the problem by going through the list of concerns on the stop-work order and rectifying them.
The deputy mayor said addressing the procedural, administrative, training and equipment issues may mean the fire department could be out of operation for a month or two.
Balsillie, who is also chief of Deninu K'ue First Nation, is concerned for the people of Fort Resolution, noting they have not been made aware of the situation with the fire department.
"Informing the community is one of the biggest things. I think the community should be informed that we don't have a fire department," he said.
"Not to say we're not going to attend (a fire call), but still to be safe. Don't take stuff lightly. If you see an unsafe condition, try to correct it before you start a fire."
Fort Resolution resident Wilfred Simon said it is a sad situation to have the fire department face a stop-work order.
"Second of all, it's pretty sad if the people can't have safety first, the safety of the firefighters," he said, adding he agrees with the stop-work order if it's for the protection of the volunteers.
Simon believes the problem needs to be corrected.
"The hamlet as a government should go check the equipment and get updated," he said. "We don't live in the Dark Ages. We live in 2014 now. We should have up-to-date things."
Simon added a representative of the WSCC should have come to Fort Resolution to speak to community residents and explain its decision. He had not heard of the closure before receiving a call from News/North.
